Living Lies
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: "I could be wonderful," she echoed softly. He nodded. "I would even degreenify you," he said and her head snapped up. He smiled at her. "There is only one condition." Fiyeraba. Winner 1st place Best AU, Best General and Best Overall Fic and 2nd place Best Fiyeraba in the 2015 Greg Awards.
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**AN: Hello all! I'm back! Or, well... I hope to be, but that will all depend on whether or not I will have wifi at my hotel in Rome! (Don't worry, I probably will.) Everything is packed and I'm leaving tomorrow. First time there, so I'm really excited!**

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 **1.**

"Aren't you tired of always running?" the Wizard asked her. "You've been so strong through all of this, Elphaba. Aren't you tired of being the strong one?"

Yes. Of course she was. But how could she not be strong when she had no-one left to turn to?

"Don't you want someone to take care of _you_ for once?"

She gritted her teeth. He was only trying to sway her. He was just sweet-talking her into working with him, but she wouldn't do it. She wouldn't give in.

He said her name and she looked up. He didn't look manipulative or evil – no more than the first time she'd met him. He just looked like a normal man, with friendly eyes and an outstretched hand.

She looked at his top hat still sitting on the handle of her broom and she hesitated. It was so tempting, what he was promising her. It would be so easy to accept his offer; to work with him, rather than against him. She could accomplish so much more and perhaps she could even... dare she imagine it? Perhaps she could even be loved.

The Wizard was looking at her expectantly now, still seeming so kind, and she wondered what it would be like to have a family. A real one – one that loved her. She recalled the Wizard's words about always having wanted to be a father ad she wondered if he was like that to Glinda now. Was he treating the blonde like a daughter? Maybe he had just been misguided – he had made mistakes and now he was trying to set them right. She could relate to that. He obviously wasn't patented on making mistakes or she wouldn't be here right now, a wanted fugitive trying to set free a bunch of Monkeys she had accidentally mutilated and in the meantime secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of her former best friend's fiancé, whom she had been in love with for nearly three years. She thought wryly that it sounded even more pathetic when she put it like that in her head.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. What was she thinking? She couldn't work with the man who had ruined her life, no matter how many promises he made her!

"You could be wonderful," he pressed on. "They call me wonderful and I can't even do anything special. Imagine the way you could be, Elphaba. With your powers and with me backing you up, the people will love you. With my help, you could be wonderful, too."

Despite herself, she was intrigued. "I could be wonderful," she echoed softly. It sounded too good to be true, but she'd seen for herself what the Wizard could do, even without any powers. Sometimes political power was all a man needed and he had plenty of that. The people loved him. What if he could make the people love her, too?

He nodded. "Please consider it, Elphaba."

She could work from the inside. Could she ever betray her values, her cause, and everything she believed in? No. Never. She'd rather go back to being a fugitive than pretend not to see what was being done to the Animals – or worse, helping the Wizard in making it happen. But perhaps she could work something out with him.

"I won't help you suppress the Animals," she said. "If you want me to join you, I have some conditions."

He nodded calmly. "Bring them on."

"First, you're going to set those Monkeys free." She pointed at the cage.

"I will," he said.

"You'll stop spreading propaganda and treating the Animals with any less respect than they deserve," she said. "All Animals in captivity will be freed and they will go back to being ordinary citizens of Oz again, just like everyone else. And you will build rehabilitation centres where the hurt ones can live and learn how to speak again."

He kept on nodding. "I will, Elphaba. I promise. I've made many mistakes in the past and I am willing to set them right now," he said. "I will even put you in charge of the Animal rehabilitation project."

She was surprised at his willingness to give in, but she didn't let it show.

"As for you," he continued, slowly moving closer to her, "I will introduce you as my promising new pupil. I'll let you take care of the Animals and you'll be part of the government. I would even degreenify you," he said and her head snapped up.

"You can't," she said sharply. "You can't even read the Grimmerie. You don't have any magical powers."

"That is true," he acknowledged, "but the Grimmerie is not the only magical book in Oz and you are not the only person with magical powers. Madame Morrible and I have found a potion that will strip you of the distinct green colour of your skin, leaving you looking like everybody else."

She remembered how horrible Glinda – back when she had still been Galinda – had always found the idea of looking like everybody else. She had always been determined to stand out – although not quite in the way Elphaba always had. To the green girl, the idea of looking like everybody else seemed like the most beautiful thing in the world. It was the one thing she had always wanted, but never thought she could have.

"No-one would recognise you," the Wizard said. "You wouldn't have to hide anymore. No-one would even suspect you to be the Wicked Witch of the West."

She frowned, uncertain. "Wait. No-one will know I was the Wicked Witch of the West? You're not going to clear my name?"

"I could try, but that would be a long and difficult process," he explained, "and the people would never fully accept a former fugitive in their midst. It will be easier if you were to pretend to be someone else. You could be an orphan from the Vinkus or a wealthy girl from Gillikin. You could be anyone you wanted to be. It'll be a fresh start, Elphaba. A chance for you to start over... to be loved by the people around you and adored by the Ozians. You'll fit right in and you'll be able to make good."

Make good.

She bit her lip, sorely tempted, but feeling like there had to be something he wasn't telling her. "What's the catch?"

He smiled at her. "There is only one condition."

She narrowed her eyes and he put his hands behind his back, slowly walking back and forth. "Since I cannot clear your name thoroughly enough, Elphaba, and your skin would no longer be green, there will not be a Wicked Witch of the West anymore. The Wicked Witch will have to die."

Her eyes widened.

"It's the only way," he said. "With you by my side, people might get suspicious when the Witch suddenly does not show her face anymore. I will make an announcement that the Gale Force has found the Wicked Witch and that, since she was resisting and threatening my men's lives, they had to kill her. The Wicked Witch of the West will be dead; Elphaba Thropp will be dead... and you will be someone else."

"But..." She tried to grasp the idea of her being stripped of her identity. It wasn't such a high price to pay for freedom, safety, love, and everything else she had always wanted; but she still did not like it. "Hardly anyone knows the Witch even has a name. Can't I still be Elphaba Thropp?"

He shook his head. "It's too risky. There only has to be a single person who does know that Elphaba Thropp and the Witch of the West are the same person and everything would be ruined," he said not unkindly. "Elphaba Thropp has to go, just like the Witch. Only then will you be truly safe."

She understood the logic behind his reasoning and she knew he was right. Everything he told her sounded wonderful and all the reasons he gave her made sense. Despite that, though, she still felt a little uncomfortable, although she couldn't tell why that was. She felt like kicking herself for it. What was she even hesitating about? This was her dream. It had been her dream ever since she had been a little girl: working with the Wizard, making good in Oz, and being degreenified. All her hopes were coming true, so why would there even be a sliver of doubt?

But she knew why. She thought of Glinda and Fiyero and she asked quietly, "Could really no-one know? Who I really am?"

He sighed. "There are the people, of course, who were once close to you and might recognise you even with a different skin colour," he acknowledged. "Do you think there are a lot of those people?"

She shook her head. "I haven't been close to anyone in years," she said. "No-one would recognise me without my green skin... except for a handful of people."

He nodded slowly. "I think I could guess who those people are."

"My sister Nessarose, Fiyero, and Glinda," she summed up.

"Yes." He started pacing back and forth again. "But we could work that problem out. Perhaps we could find a glamour spell that will disguise you and make you look completely different..."

"No," she said sharply. It was bad enough that she would have to give up her name and her past. She was not going to give up everything else that was familiar about her.

He nodded, unfazed by her fierce reaction. "Fair enough. I understand that."

"Nessarose will probably never see me again," she said. "I am not returning to Munchkinland and she is not likely to come here. She won't be a problem. Glinda and Fiyero might recognise me, but... couldn't we just tell them the truth?" She sounded a little too hopeful for her own liking.

"No. No-one can know. We don't know who can be trusted." He looked at her. "Prince Fiyero is our Captain of the Guard, Elphaba," he said gently. "I do not think he would react positively to this situation. Glinda might, but she is too chatty – she might accidentally betray you to someone else. If we are going to do this, we will have to hide your identity from everyone. No-one but you and I can know... well, and Madame Morrible, since she will have to perform the spell. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispered. She had to. She wanted this – she wanted a change. The Wizard was right about Fiyero – if he knew who she was, he would probably shoot her on the spot. She would just pretend to be someone else. She'd still see him and Glinda. Perhaps she could even befriend them again in time. They could never know it was her, though. "I could change my hair colour. That would make it less likely for them to recognise me."

He nodded approvingly. "That is a good idea, Elphaba. Between your looking different and the announcement of the death of the Witch, even Glinda and Fiyero should not suspect anything." He looked her over. "Does that mean you are in?"

She nodded, firmer this time. "I'm in."

"Good." He smiled. "I will prepare the announcement and I will find Madame Morrible to perform the degreenifying spell straight away." He touched her arm. "Everything will work out perfectly, Elphaba. Just you wait and see. You made the right decision today."

She nodded. He was right. This was a new start and she was going to make the best of it. From now on, Elphaba Thropp – the Wicked Witch of the West – was dead.

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 **I hope you guys like it so far. I'll warn you in advance - even if I do have wifi, my updates probably won't be very regular, but I'll try.**

 **Let me know what you think! (You know, if you want me to keep writing or if you want me to lock myself in the Colosseum and never come out again :P.)**


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**AN:**

 **Jakie: I'm sorry you feel that way, but it's very simple - if you don't like my stories (anymore), then just stop reading them. If you've read my other stories, you should know by now that all of them are romance and they all have happy endings; if that's not your thing, then there are other fanfic authors out there you'd probably like better.**

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 **2.**

Madame Morrible seemed to be thrilled with the new arrangement, even if that did mean dropping the Animal Banns; and her demeanour towards Elphaba was so sickeningly sweet that the green girl had to repress the urge to shudder every time the older woman came near her. And she came near Elphaba a _lot_ , especially in the beginning, because she was responsible for changing the young witch's appearance.

"After I degreenify you," Morrible said as she led Elphaba into what seemed to be a dressing room, "we'll need to think of other ways to make you look different." She held up a strand of Elphaba's long, raven hair, puckering her lips and tapping them thoughtfully. "Perhaps a spell... I am sure I could find a spell that will change your hair colour. We could cut it, too."

Elphaba bit her lip. She'd always kept her hair long because she remembered her mother had loved it that way. She hated the thought of cutting it.

 _Elphaba Thropp is dead,_ she reminded herself. _You will be someone else now._

"I will make the degreenifying potion for you," Morrible promised, "and I will search through this book for any other spells that could be useful to us – it is a spell book that specialises in disguises, so that should not be too difficult. For now, I will take you to a room where you can freshen up a little and get some sleep. I will come find you tomorrow." Her eyes bored into Elphaba's. "You are not to leave your room under any circumstances – if someone sees you before the degreenification is complete, all would be ruined. Do you understand?"

Elphaba nodded and Morrible gave her a long look.

"Just so we're clear," she said, her eyes slightly narrowed and her voice sharp, "I do not trust you, Miss Elphaba."

"Likewise," Elphaba replied immediately and Morrible let out a short laugh.

"I think this sudden change of heart is rather suspicious," she said. "I know His Ozness promised you things in return, but I still do not trust you and I will keep an eye on you every moment of your stay here."

"Like I said," said Elphaba, raising her chin, "likewise."

Morrible pointed at her. "I like you," she said. "If only you were completely on our side, we could have been a great team."

 _Half of Oz's greatest team..._

Elphaba shook her head, trying to clear it of thoughts of the past, and followed Morrible through a door into a different room. The older woman pointed out the bathroom and a wardrobe filled with clothes to Elphaba before leaving the room.

The dark-haired witch trailed her fingers along the back of one of the chairs, taking it all in. The room was large and luxurious, just like everything else in the Emerald Palace. Fluffy carpets covered the floor, heavy curtains were draped in front of the windows, and the bed and armchairs looked very comfortable. She opened the wardrobe, only to find it filled with all kinds of dresses that were approximately her size. Once again, she wondered how the Wizard always seemed to be prepared for everything.

It was rather late already and she went into the bathroom to freshen up, savouring every moment of it, before choosing a nightgown from her closet and crawling into the bed. She intended to only rest for a while; but when she opened her eyes again, she could see sunlight peeking around the closed curtains and Morrible was knocking on her door.

"Come in!" she called, her voice still husky with sleep. She sat up and ran a hand through her tangled hair as Morrible entered, quirking an eyebrow when she saw that the green girl was still lying in bed.

"Rise and shine, little witch," she said mockingly. "Today is the start of your new life."

Elphaba followed the woman back into the dressing room they'd been in the previous day and Morrible handed her a small glass vial with an emerald green liquid inside. "Drink this."

Elphaba eyed it warily, turning the vial around in her hand. "How do I know you're not trying to kill me?" she asked. "You already said you don't trust me. For all I know, this could be poison."

"Very clever, Miss Elphaba." Morrible sighed and took the vial from the younger girl, opening it and taking a sip. "There you go. Nothing to be afraid of. It doesn't have any effect on me at all, since my skin is already pale."

Elphaba bit her lip, still wary, but she decided to take the chance. She didn't really think Morrible would kill her. Not like this, at least. The woman needed her, even though she would never admit that.

"Will it be permanent?" she asked softly.

"Yes." Morrible crossed her arms. "That's the effect we're looking for, after all, isn't it?"

When Elphaba didn't say anything, she added, "If it makes you feel any better, there is also a recipe for a potion in this book that will give you back your original looks."

Elphaba nodded and took a deep breath. Then she brought the vial to her lips and emptied it in a few large gulps.

At first, she felt no different at all. Then her toes and fingers started tingling and the feeling slowly spread to her hands and feet, arms and legs, and then on to her entire body. She shivered, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, and then the tingling sensation died down.

She opened one eye. Slowly, almost afraid of what she would see, she brought her hand up to her face.

It was _normal_.

She opened her other eye and looked at her hands and arms in disbelief. Her skin was a normal colour – the colour of peaches, only a shade or so darker than Nessa's. There was not a trace of green to be seen anywhere.

She hurried over to the standing mirror against the wall and stared at her reflection. Her skin was normal. Everywhere, all over, it was creamy and pale and pink and _normal_.

She touched her cheeks, trailing her fingers all over her skin, and an incredulous laugh escaped her lips. "I look normal!"

Morrible looked bored. "So you do, dearie. Can we move on to the next part of this transformation now?"

Elphaba turned around to face her. "What is the next part?"

"Hair." Morrible indicated the spell book. "I found a spell to change the colour of your hair." She glanced Elphaba over. "Given your complexion, I'd say a reddish golden colour would look the most natural on you... or perhaps a reddish brown. Is that all right with you?"

Elphaba nodded. Her mother's hair had been a shade of red, too; somehow it seemed only fitting that Elphaba's hair would look that way now. Again, she closed her eyes as Morrible cast the spell and when she opened them again, her hair was the exact same copper-brown colour Melena's had been.

When Morrible pulled out a pair of scissors, however, Elphaba shied away. "Can't we find something else to do with it?" she asked pleadingly. "Please?" Despite her earlier resolve to let go of who she once was and be a new person, she just couldn't let Morrible cut her hair. Her long hair was the only reminder she had of Melena, aside from her green glass bottle, and she was not willing to give that up.

Morrible sighed. "Do you have to be so difficult?"

Elphaba folded her arms and glared at the older woman until Morrible threw her hands up in the air and gave in. "Fine! Stubborn little witch," she muttered under her breath as she flicked through the spell book again. "How about I give you curls instead?"

The formerly green girl agreed and Morrible cast yet another spell. After that, she stepped back to watch the result of her work critically.

"Good," was her judgement. "I do not think anyone will recognise you like this."

Elphaba gathered all of her courage and looked in the mirror. When she saw herself, she had to agree. Even she didn't recognise the old Elphaba Thropp in there. She vaguely reminded herself of Melena and also a little bit of Nessarose, but not enough that the similarities were too obvious. The copper curls surrounding her face and the pale skin completely wiped away any thoughts anyone might have of this girl being the same as the one who left Shiz over two years ago.

"Satisfied?" Morrible asked impatiently and Elphaba nodded, unable to tear her gaze away from her mirror image.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Good." The woman smoothed out her heavy skirts with her hands. "Now all you need is a name and a back story and you are good to go. I will leave that to His Ozness." She took Elphaba's arm and all but pushed her out of the room and through the hallway, back to the throne room, after which she left.

The Wizard appeared, looking absolutely shocked when he laid eyes on her. "Elphaba?"

"I should hope so," she said and he shook his head incredulously.

"God, Elphaba..." He studied her closely. "I would never have guessed it was you."

She smiled wryly. "That's the point, isn't it, Your Ozness?"

He laughed and beckoned her closer. "Come, my dear. We will have a cup of tea and we can discuss who you are and where you are from." He smiled at her. "And you may call me Oscar."

"All right," she complied hesitantly, wondering if "Oscar" was a normal name in the world the Wizard came from. She had certainly never heard it before.

"So, Elphaba," he said after he had poured them both some tea and they were sitting across from one another. "Have you travelled a lot?"

She shook her head. "Almost never," she said, "but I do know a lot about the Ozian provinces and the customs there. I've read a lot of books."

He nodded. "Well, I was thinking that, given the way you look now, you would most likely be from Gillikin."

That made sense, she supposed, since Melena had originally been from Gillikin. "Sure."

"Do you think you know enough about the province to make that believable?" he asked and she sniggered.

"I have roomed with Galinda Upland for nearly an entire school year," she said in amusement. "Even if I hadn't read any books about it, I would know everything about Gillikin by now."

Oscar smiled. "Good. You can't be from a wealthy family, though – in Gillikin, everyone knows one another and people will wonder why they have never seen you before. You will have to be someone nondescript."

"I can't be someone from the lowest classes, either," Elphaba chimed in, "because then people will wonder why you chose a little nobody as your new pupil."

Oscar beamed at her. "See? This is why I wanted you to work with me, Elphaba!" he said enthusiastically, slapping himself on the knees. "You're the cleverest girl I've ever met and you see everything. You're right. We need a reason for me to have chosen you, especially since I have never taken any other pupils before aside from Glinda."

Elphaba tilted her head a little to the side as she thought about that. "May I make a suggestion?"

Oscar made an inviting gesture. "Of course."

"I say we forget about me being from Gillikin," she said. "I'm not from Gillikin – I'm from Fliaan and you have invited me to Oz in the hopes that you can help me develop my very promising magical powers."

The Wizard's eyes started shining. "That is brilliant."

"I am from a moderately wealthy family," she continued, "and my parents are acquaintances of yours. They asked you to take me under your wing and teach me the arts of magic whilst educating me in the field of politics as well, and you agreed."

He nodded. "Yes. _Yes_. It's perfect." He grinned widely at her. "You could achieve so much, Elphaba, and now you will get the chance to do exactly that."

"Not Elphaba," she corrected him. "Cassadi. Cassadi Welther." A distinctly Fliaan name – one in a dozen. She didn't want to stand out.

"Cassadi." He tried out the name, smiling in satisfaction. "Perfect. Welcome to the Emerald City, Cassadi."

She rose and curtseyed mockingly. "It is a pleasure to be here, Your Ozness."

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 **Next update might take a while again, but I'm glad most of you are liking it so far!**


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**AN: Wow, thank you all so much for the reviews! There are so many of them - I'm overwhelmed! Virtual Italian dessert of your choice for all of you! (Panna cotta, tiramisu...)**

 **Glinda incoming :).**

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 **3.**

Oscar wanted to keep Elphaba completely out of sight until shortly before her official introduction to the people, but she instantly balked at that idea.

"I am not staying cooped up inside my room without talking to anyone for weeks," she declared hotly. "I'd go insane. Can't you just... give me something to do? I'd rather make myself useful somehow."

It was then decided that Elphaba would pose as a kitchen help for the next couple of weeks.

"The Palace kitchens are enormous," Oscar had told her. "You will be able to blend in there without anyone recognising you later on. No-one will even ask your name, I can promise you that. Would you prefer that over staying inside?"

She most definitely did and she was accepted as a new kitchen help without question. Elphaba actually liked helping around in the kitchens. She'd always taken care of the meals back home in Munchkinland and she loved everything about cooking, so she did not mind her new temporary job at all – as long as she stayed away from the meat, which she carefully did.

She knew the Wizard was working on the announcement of the death of the Witch – she suspected that by "working on", he meant "bribing some Gale Force soldiers to support the story of them having found and killed the Witch" – but it still came as a shock to her when someone stormed into the kitchens on the sixth day she had been working there.

"She's dead!" the servant cried, grabbing a kitchen maid and shaking her. "She's dead! His Ozness just made the announcement – the Wicked Witch of the West is dead!"

The reactions varied from incredulous and shocked looks to happy and relieved laughter. "She's dead!" The words spread through the kitchen and, Elphaba suspected, through the entire palace, if not the entire Emerald City. Forget that – all of Oz would probably know by the end of the day and she knew that all across the land, the reactions would be much the same as they were here. Mild shock, soon overwhelmed by feelings of joy, relief, and happiness. The Wicked Witch of the West was dead.

It hurt more than she had thought it would, to see the way everyone responded to the news. She didn't know any of these people. What had she ever done to them? Before last week, she'd never seen them in her life, so how could they be so happy she was dead?

She wasn't wicked. She _wasn't_. But only a handful of people knew that and those people either believed her to be dead now or were the ones who had helped that rumour out into the world. She thought of Glinda, of Fiyero, of Nessarose, and she wondered how they would respond to the news.

Everyone around her acted happy. No-one even stopped to think about the fact that someone had just been killed – someone who maybe, just maybe, was not so bad as she had been made out to be. Someone who was not as wicked as everyone believed her to be. Nobody saw that because nobody cared. People were ignorant, she had learned a long time ago. They believed what they were told by the people they looked up to. They believed what they wanted to believe.

She kept her gaze locked on the dough she was kneading and never once looked up as the people around her celebrated her death.

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Her first test came approximately six weeks after the announcement of the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, when she and Oscar agreed to start bringing Cassadi Welther out into the open.

Her official introduction to Oz as the Wizard's pupil would not be for another week; but Oscar did move her to more prominently situated quarters in the Palace and introduced her to his closest advisors, some high officials, and part of his staff. He gave her two personal maids to help her with everything, a closet filled with fancy gowns for her to wear, and her own spacious bedroom with an adjoining bathroom and a sitting room.

He also gave her a dog.

When she first entered her rooms and found a tiny, fluffy, black-and-white puppy sitting on the carpet, she could only stop and stare at it for the first minute or so. It let out a whine and she slowly approached it, studying it closely as if half expecting it to suddenly explode.

It didn't, of course. Instead it got to its four short feet and padded over to her, sniffing her hand before licking it. Its tail was wagging and it barked – a sound even Elphaba had to admit was very cute.

"Hey, you," she said softly, picking it up and looking at it. "What are you doing here? Who brought you here?"

"His Ozness did, Miss Cassadi," one of her two personal maids, Vana, said as she entered the room with a tray. She poured Elphaba some tea and placed the full cup on the table in the centre of the room. "He thought you might like a friend to keep you company, since you are new to Oz and arrived all alone."

Elphaba looked back at the puppy, whose tail was still swinging back and forth as it cocked its head at her. She laughed softly and hugged the little dog to her chest. She'd never owned a pet before and if she had ever stopped to think about it, which she hadn't, she would probably have considered herself more of a cat person. She was sold, however, the moment she looked into those dark brown eyes.

"What will you call him?" Vana asked, a smile on her face, and Elphaba thought about the question as she scratched the puppy between its ears. Then she knew.

"Hero."

It just seemed to be the perfect name for this little dog that would, at least for now, most likely be the best friend she had. And no-one would ever know why she had chosen that name, right? She'd only called him that once, back at Shiz, when he had stood up for her against some classmates and she'd teasingly called him "Yero my hero". He probably didn't even remember. She did, though. That was enough.

"That is a good choice," Vana agreed. Before she had even finished speaking, however, Elphaba's other maid – Cheri – hurried into the room.

She curtseyed. "Miss Cassadi," she said, "His Ozness requests your presence in the throne room."

"Of course." Elphaba did not put down the puppy as she exited her rooms and walked through the hallways. She nearly dropped the poor thing, though, when she rounded a corner and almost bumped straight into a beautiful blonde girl in a poofy dress.

"Oh, goodness!" Glinda exclaimed. "I am so sorry!"

Elphaba waved her away, her heart pounding in her throat. "Don't worry about it, Your Goodness. It was my fault."

Glinda gasped. "Oh, sweet Oz, is that a _puppy_?" She instantly started petting Hero, who tried to lick her hand, and she giggled. "He is such a sweetie! Or is it a she?" she asked, glancing up at Elphaba, who shook her head.

"It's a he," she said.

"What's he called?" Glinda asked enthusiastically.

"Hero." Elphaba watched as Glinda let the puppy lick her hand.

She could hardly take her eyes off her former best friend. Ivory skin, golden curls, pink dress, and a tiara perched on top of her head, she looked so different from before and yet so very much the same. She looked older, but not much so. The change mainly seemed to be in her eyes.

Glinda smiled at her, and did Elphaba imagine it, or did she look sad? "You must be His Ozness's new pupil, aren't you?" she asked. "He told me about you."

Elphaba nodded. "I'm from Fliaan," she said. "My name is Cassadi Welther."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Glinda's smile widened as she continued petting the puppy in Elphaba's arms. "I am Glinda Upland, as you probably already know, and Cassie – may I call you that?"

"It's a little perky." The words escaped Elphaba's lips before she could stop them and her eyes widened slightly. She could see the way Glinda tensed, stilling her movements. She had a sad, faraway look in her eyes for a moment before she looked at Elphaba again, who did her best to look innocent.

Glinda shook her head, as if shaking off a memory. "Anyway, you can just... just call me Glinda. There's no need for that "Your Goodness" nonsense – not from a friend, anyway. It's good to have a new friend around here." Her voice grew softer. "It's been a while since I had a real friend."

Elphaba smiled, even though she could still feel her heart hammering in her chest. "Yes," she said. "That goes for me, too. I don't really know anyone around here yet."

"You should have tea with me sometime," Glinda suggested, "and then you can meet my fiancé! He's Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus – the scandalacious one. You've probably already seen him in a newspaper somewhere, since he's the Captain of the Guard. He's so dreamy. It would be lovely to talk some more with you, Cassie."

"It would be," Elphaba agreed. "I am sorry, Glinda, but the Wizard has requested my presence and I'm already running late..."

"Oh, of course!" Glinda waved her on. "Go! Don't keep the leader of Oz waiting!" She smiled again. Elphaba noticed that her smiles looked more forced than they had been back at Shiz, just like her giggles seemed less genuine. She wondered if that was what life at the Emerald Palace had done for Glinda. The blonde was still beautiful, popular, and loved, but she had to wear a mask all the time in order for things to stay that way.

As she moved past Glinda and let out a long breath, she cursed herself for her slip-up. What had she been thinking? Glinda could have realised it was her and then what would happen? The point of this disguise was that no-one would recognise her, but she had to _play_ the part, too. She should be more careful. She didn't want Glinda to realise who she really was.

Or did she? She could not help but feel that perhaps, deep down inside, she did want Glinda to recognise her. She hated her friend thinking that she was dead. She hated pretending to be someone else in front of someone she knew so well – someone who knew _her_ so well. She couldn't tell anyone about her real identity, but if Glinda recognised her on her own, she wouldn't have to. She was sure the blonde could keep a secret if it was important enough.

She realised that she could not take the risk, though, and so she sighed and shook it off, promising herself she would not slip up like that again. She had to be less Elphaba and more Cassadi. She could do that. It was like acting and she had always been surprisingly good at acting. Acting like nothing was wrong. Acting like the things they said about her didn't bother her.

She clutched Hero to her chest and tried to convince herself that she would be okay.

* * *

 **Ozzie (and others who thought I based Elphaba's new appearance off Willemijn Verkaik): I wanted to make her look like Melena and only then did I realise that she fit Willemijn's description, too :P.**

 **Other than that, Rome is amazing and everything is so beautiful :). The food is delicious and the weather is great, too - soon I'll be the Queen of Tans! Haha.**


	4. 4

**AN: I apologise for the delay in updates. I'm back in Dutchland now, though! Italy was great - Rome is such a beautiful city, the weather was nice and warm and we saw some amazing things!**

 **In any case, thank you all for your reviews (and yes, you can also pick desserts that aren't Italian if you want to). There are so many of them and they mean the world to me!**

* * *

 **4.**

Sometimes, Elphaba thought as she was sitting across from Oscar with Hero scurrying around her chair, she still couldn't believe that she was on friendly terms with the Wizard now. Three years ago, it had been her dream to meet him and to work with him. About two years ago, all her illusions about him had been shattered and he had ruined her life. A single year ago, she had wanted nothing more than to bring him down, kill him if she had to, and she had hated everything he stood for.

And now she was sitting in his parlour, having tea with him.

He smiled at her. "I think I'm finally getting used to your new looks," he said, sipping his tea.

She chuckled dryly. "I'm glad one of us is." She still paused every time she looked into a mirror. Not necessarily in a bad way, though. She liked the way she looked. It was just so... different.

Hero lifted his hind leg and Elphaba said sharply, "Don't!" The puppy looked up at her and she narrowed her eyes at him as she waited. He obediently lowered his leg again and she relaxed. "Good boy."

Oscar raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed. "You have trained him well already, I see, and you've only had him for a week or so. How did you do that?"

"I've always been good with animals." She faltered, remembering whom she was speaking to, and she glanced at him. The Wizard lowered his gaze and suddenly seemed very interested in his tea, clearly uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat. "I wanted to talk to you about that, by the way."

"Animals?"

He nodded, still not meeting her gaze. Was he ashamed? She hoped so. The more time she spent with him, the more she was starting to believe that he really was just a man who had made some mistakes – bad mistakes, but still only mistakes. He wasn't an evil person at heart. He had been overwhelmed by all the new things here in Oz and the power that was suddenly within his reach and he had taken a few wrong turns, but she could forgive him for that. Despite everything he had done, everything she had seen with her own eyes that he had done, she could forgive him. Because the results of her own good intentions weren't pretty, either.

That did not mean she didn't want him to suffer for what he'd done, though. Just a little bit. Feelings of shame and embarrassment when faced with his past mistakes. Lying awake a little longer at night than usual out of guilt. Little things to make up, if only a tiny bit, for the suffering he had caused.

"I have started the project," he said, his voice bringing her back from her thoughts. "The one we talked about, for the Animals. I will give you the report about the progress so far so that you can read it if you want to, but the beginning has been made. If you have any ideas, please share; and I would like for you to go visit one of the appointed rehabilitation centres sometime next week – not just so that you can see with your own eyes what is happening, but also so that the people can see something of you. Your official introduction is tomorrow, after all."

She nodded, her throat suddenly dry. She loved the prospect of working on the rehabilitation project for Animals and of visiting one of the rehabilitation centres. She hated the prospect, however, of having to stand beside the Wizard and smile brightly as she was introduced to Oz knew how many people in the middle of the Emerald City.

"I thought of something else, too, by the way," said Oscar, looking a little worried. "I mentioned you to one of my ambassadors the other day and he was delighted about your being from Fliaan. He said he'd love to talk to someone in his home language again."

Elphaba smirked. "Don't worry. I speak the Fliaan language. Otherwise I never would have suggested the country as my homeland – it would have been bound to lead to awkward situations with other Fliaan people."

Oscar let out a breath. "That's good."

Just then, Hero lifted his hind leg again and peed against the leg of the Wizard's chair.

"Hero!" Elphaba cried in exasperation, but Oscar just chuckled.

"He's only a puppy, Elphaba. He has a lot to learn."

"Cassadi," she corrected him sharply as she lifted the puppy. "We can't risk you slipping up. You have to call me Cassadi, even in private."

He nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Bad dog," Elphaba told Hero, even though by now he probably had no idea anymore what he'd done that was so bad. The puppy just looked at her and she sighed, deflating. She shouldn't take out her frustrations on the poor thing. "I think I'll just go back to my rooms now."

"Sure." Oscar smiled encouragingly. "I will send for you tomorrow at ten. Your introduction will begin at noon and I need you to look your best for it, so your maids will help you get dressed and I will have a hair dresser and someone for your make-up ready."

"Hurray," said Elphaba sarcastically before leaving the room.

She was grateful for what he had done for her. She really was. She still stood behind her decision, too. It was just that she sometimes felt so frustrated about all the lying. She had always prided herself on her honesty, on the fact that she always voiced what she thought; and now her entire life seemed to be made out of deceit. Even her reflection in the mirror was a lie.

When she returned to her chambers, Cheri hurried towards her, curtseying. "Miss Cassadi. Lady Glinda has invited you to have dinner with her in the small dining room downstairs at seven o'clock."

Elphaba nodded. "Tell her I'll be there."

"We will need to put you in a nice dress!" Vana chirped as she swept into the room. "Lady Glinda is very fond of fashion and puts a lot of thought and effort in the way she looks. We should at least try to outdo her, Miss Cassadi. She is radiant, but you are very beautiful, too."

Elphaba paused at that, just staring at her maid for a moment. Aside from Glinda, no-one had ever called her beautiful. Ever. It struck her as ironic that people would find her beautiful now that she had normal-coloured skin. She had not changed, after all. Only her skin colour and hair had. She had always thought that her green skin was what had made her so ugly – this only proved that to be the truth, she supposed.

Her maids made her take a bath and then put her in a dress that the old Elphaba would definitely have balked at, but Cassadi wore it without protesting – aloud, anyway. It was green, almost the exact shade her skin had been, which caused her to smile wryly. It had a sweetheart neckline, straps that sat just off her shoulders, a bodice covered in beading, and a full skirt. Cheri and Vana gushed about the way she looked, claiming the colour of the dress looked perfect with her hair and complexion, which only enhanced the irony of this entire thing.

Once her maids had pinned up her hair and applied some make-up, however, even she had to admit that she looked good. Perhaps even pretty.

She arrived in the dining room at a quarter to seven. Glinda did not come in until twenty minutes past seven, which was nothing less than Elphaba had expected – at Shiz, the blonde had always been at least half an hour late for everything, so this was an improvement.

Glinda squealed when she saw Elphaba. "Oh, Cassie, look at you! You look beautiful!"

"So do you," replied Elphaba warmly and Glinda giggled.

"Thank you."

They sat and the food was brought in. As they were served, Glinda started chattering about how she would have loved for "Cassie" to meet her fiancé, but unfortunately, he had to work tonight. She talked about her shopping trip the day before and about Cassadi's introduction to the people tomorrow, assuring her new friend that she did not have to be nervous, because the people would simply love her.

"And you're from Fliaan, right?" Glinda gushed, her cheeks red with excitement. "I have always loved your language. It sounds so elegant. Could you teach me?"

"¡Claro!" said Elphaba with a small smile. "Te puedo enseñar."

Glinda blinked. "Huh?"

"I said I can teach you," Elphaba translated and Glinda's face brightened.

"Oh. That's great, Cassie." She sighed happily. "And I could teach you things in return. Like, you know, the proper poise when you talk to men, and little ways to flirt with them... I could give you fashion tips and show you how to do your hair. I'll teach you all the things you need to know to become loved and popular throughout all of Oz!"

Memories of similar promises of popularity haunted Elphaba's mind and she forced herself to smile. "That'd be great."

"Wouldn't it?" Glinda smiled at her.

An elaborately prepared piece of roasted meat was placed on their plates and Elphaba swallowed. She should just eat it. Elphaba never ate meat; there was no reason for Cassadi not to, however, and it would probably make Glinda suspicious... but she just _couldn't_. Looking at this piece of meat on her plate, she could not help thinking of Dr Dillamond and all the other Animals that had been muted and abused, wondering if one of them was now lying on the plate in front of her.

"Glinda?" she said quietly. "I am sorry, but I cannot eat this."

Glinda's brow furrowed. "Why not?" She blinked and studied Elphaba little more closely, which made the young witch shift uncomfortably.

"It's... my faith," she said, making it up on the spot and reminding herself to tell Oscar about it later. "My parents did not raise me in an extremely religious way, but eating meat is considered wrong and I have never done it. I would not want to disappoint my family."

"Your faith?" Glinda looked intrigued. "You need to tell me more about that later. Take that away and bring something for Cassadi that is not meat, please," she asked one of the maids, who curtseyed and brought Elphaba a new plate filled with other kinds of food. Elphaba thanked both her and Glinda, grateful that the blonde didn't seem to think any more of it.

"Tell me more about yourself," Glinda urged her as she cut her own meat. "What do you like to do? What was your childhood like? Aside from the religious stuff, I mean."

Elphaba sat up a little straighter. She and the Wizard had come up with an elaborate back story for her that she had completely memorised. "I grew up in southern Fliaan with my parents," she began. "I started discovering my magical powers when I was still very young."

"Does the rest of your family have them, too?" Glinda asked curiously, taking a bite.

Elphaba hesitated briefly, then shook her head. "Not that we know of. They were very proud of me, though, and they had me tutored by someone who knew more about it."

She could almost see this imaginary childhood as she told Glinda. Parents who loved her for who she was, magical powers and all. Love and support on all sides. A proper education. Playing with other children. It was the childhood she had secretly always wanted – a real childhood, without two births and a death that had ripped an entire family apart. No green aberration as an eldest daughter. No little sister in a wheelchair who had to be taken care of at all times. No deceased mother and no father who had hated every fibre of her being.

Glinda smiled when she finished. "You must have had a wonderful life so far, Cassie."

 _If only you knew_ , Elphaba thought as she took a sip of her drink, but she said, "I did. How about you?"

"Oh, I did, too," said Glinda, but her smile suddenly seemed forced. "Momsie and Popsicle raised me in Gillikin and they have always spoiled me rotten. I was loved and adored by everyone." She giggled. "I've always been popular and I had lots of friends..." She trailed off. "And now I have Fiyero," she added, although the enthusiasm had disappeared from her voice, "and that is great, too."

"I'd love to meet him sometime," said Elphaba, even though she really didn't. She was scared. What if he recognised her? She'd be dead – he was the Captain of the Guard, after all. If he didn't kill her on the spot, he'd have her thrown into Southstairs and she'd be left to rot there.

Aside from that, she was also scared of her own feelings around him. Would he still be as handsome as before? Would her stomach still explode in butterflies the moment she laid eyes on him or had he changed now to the point where that was all over? She hoped that was the case. It would be easier for everyone.

Glinda had gone very quiet and Elphaba asked, "Glin? Are you all right?"

The blonde's head snapped up. "What? Oh, yes. Yes, of course." She smiled again, but it seemed even less genuine this time around. "I like your calling me a nickname."

When Elphaba realised what she meant, she mentally kicked herself. _Stupid!_ Of course, "Glin" was not that strange a nickname to call a woman named "Glinda"; but it was still a slip-up that she had not intended to make. She needed to think her words through more carefully before speaking them or she wouldn't last long.

"Anyway," said Glinda, shaking her head a little, "I think I will retire, if you'll excuse me. I have a slight headache."

"Of course!" Elphaba said, almost relieved. "I hope you will feel better soon."

"Thank you." Glinda smiled sadly at the formerly green girl before leaving and for some reason, Elphaba felt awful.


	5. 5

**AN: I'm really sorry for the gaps between updates. I'm having a bit of a crazy week. Will try to keep them more regular from now on!**

* * *

 **5.**

"This is so much harder than I thought it would be!" Elphaba exclaimed, pacing up and down the room. "I keep saying things I shouldn't be saying – things that could betray me. I can't lie to Glinda's face! She's my best friend!"

No reply came and she sighed, sinking down into a chair. "Why did I ever think I could pull this off?" she muttered. "I hated myself before, but at least I _was_ myself. I don't even feel like I'm me anymore. Red-headed, curly-haired, pale-skinned Elphaba." She snorted. "Not even that – even my name is gone. Poof. Disappeared. It's nice, starting over and all, but do you have any idea how trapped I feel when I can't even tell anyone about my real past? My real likes and dislikes, my real feelings? I mean, I could, of course; but the moment I'd tell Glinda that I love books and studying, she'll know. Especially since Oscar is already putting me in charge of the Animal rehabilitation project. Animals _and_ books would just be too suspicious. Frankly, I'm surprised Glinda didn't put the pieces together already."

She got up and resumed her pacing, avoiding looking at herself in the mirror every time she walked past it. "I guess Oscar was right about that, though. Glin would never think that I am her old friend from Shiz – not just because I look so different, but also because she doesn't believe I would ever work with the Wizard, or he with me. Between that and his announcement that I'm dead, she or Fiyero won't suspect a thing. I still have to be careful, though, and I hate that. I hate that I can't be honest with my best friend." She rested her forehead against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment. "You should be happy that you are what you are, you know. You'll never have to worry about these kinds of things."

Hero barked happily and padded over to where she was standing, looking up at her. She gave a soft laugh and leaned down to pet him. "At least I have _someone_ I can talk to about everything."

His tail wagged and she let him lick her hand. It was nice to have a friend she could be honest with around here – even if that friend could not talk back or even really understand her.

"Miss Cassadi?" Vana entered and curtseyed. "His Ozness has requested for you to dress and come downstairs to get ready."

Elphaba sighed. "Here goes nothing." She petted Hero again and asked Vana to keep an eye on him while she was gone.

"Shouldn't we help you into your dress?" Vana asked anxiously, but Elphaba threw her a look that made her close her mouth.

"I can get into my own dress," the young witch said a little irritably before leaving the room and going into the bathroom. The appointed dress was already hanging on the door and she looked at it. It was, thankfully, simpler and less full than her green dinner dress had been, although it was still much too pretty and sparkly for Elphaba's liking. It was a peach colour with a sweetheart neckline, just like the green dress, and thick straps covered in silver beading. With some more silver beading just beneath her chest and a skirt that gently flowed down to the floor, Elphaba still felt a little ridiculous, but she also had to admit that the fit looked elegant. She wasted no time in putting it on and refused to even look into a mirror before leaving her chambers.

Upon arriving in the dressing room downstairs, she was immediately surrounded by people. Someone started putting jewellery on her, while a woman approached her with what looked like a tiny pillow to put powder on her face. She was led over to a vanity and her hair was brushed out, with the hair dresser gushing on about how beautiful her thick and curly hair was, and someone else started doing her make-up. By the time they were done with her, it was at least an hour later and Elphaba recognised herself even less than usual.

She did look pretty, though.

As she was quickly directed upstairs – she would need to appear in front of the people on the large balcony attached to the throne room, where the Wizard would also be, and she only had about twenty minutes left – she nearly tripped over her dress and heels a few times. Cursing them, she hurried up a flight of stairs and almost toppled down again when she quite literally bumped into someone. It was only a pair of hands that shot out to grab her shoulders that kept her from bouncing down all twenty-something steps. She let out a relieved breath. That would have been awkward. And painful.

"Thank you," she began, looking up into her saviour's face, and she swore her heart stopped.

Fiyero.

"You are very welcome." He gave her a small, lopsided grin that turned her insides to butter and made her legs feel weak. Yes. He was still as handsome as before. Maybe more so. He'd grown out more – his shoulders were broader, he was a little taller and more muscled than he had been at Shiz. His hair was shorter, but it still fell into his face. Like Glinda, he looked older and more worn. There were dark shadows around his eyes, but his smile was still the same.

"You must be Cassadi," he said. "Right?"

She nodded, still speechless, and he suddenly seemed to realise he was still holding her shoulders. He quickly let go of her and she hugged herself, instantly missing his touch.

"I'm Fiyero Tiggular, the Captain of the Guard." He flashed her that tiny grin again. "You'd better hurry. You wouldn't want to be late and His Ozness is about to begin his speech."

She swore and dashed off, figuring it was better to get away from him as soon as possible, anyway. "Thank you!" she called over her shoulder and she heard him chuckle before she turned the corner.

Her heart was hammering in her chest and she had to take a moment, leaning against the wall in an attempt to catch her breath. He hadn't recognised her. She supposed that was a good thing... but seeing him here, like this, she could not imagine him hating her and wanting her dead. He _had_ to be glad she was gone – his sole purpose for the past two years had been to hunt her down and capture her, after all... but she didn't see it. She couldn't imagine this man hating her. All she saw was her friend, her roommate's boyfriend, and the boy – or man, she supposed – she had secretly been in love with for years. Had he really grown to hate her over the years? Or did he maybe have some other reason for being in the Gale Force?

She couldn't think of any other possible reason, though.

Shaking it off, she pushed herself away from the wall and hurried down the hallway, arriving only just in time. Glinda, of course, immediately started beaming when she saw her and proclaimed that Elphaba's dress simply looked _perfect_ with her hair and eyes and that she looked _so incredibly pretty_.

Morrible was there, too, giving Elphaba a false smile. "Miss Cassadi!" she chirped. "You look simply stunning!"

"Thank you, Madame," Elphaba replied modestly, imagining that she could kill the woman with a single look. That would certainly be interesting. And tempting.

Oscar gave her a searching look and she smiled bravely.

"Are you ready?" he asked her and she nodded.

It was about as awful as she had suspected it to be. She stood there and looked pretty – something she was uncomfortable with, since it was not something she was used to being able to do – as Oscar told the Ozians about his promising new magical pupil from Fliaan.

Glinda was there, too, and she officially welcomed "Cassadi" in a clear and bright voice. Elphaba thanked her and the Wizard announced that the people would be seeing more of Cassadi from now on, especially since the Wicked Witch of the West was no longer a threat and the focus could be solely on re-building Oz and cleansing it of fear and hatred. After that, Morrible gushed about how much of an asset "Cassadi" was for Oz and that they were all expecting great things from the Wizard's new pupil. Elphaba then cast a spell that made colourful fireworks go off in the air above the Ozians – Morrible had told her beforehand about that part, claiming it would show the people not just that she really had magical powers, but also that it would make them admire her, so Elphaba had learned the spell by heart.

The people all applauded and cheered enthusiastically, just as Morrible has predicted; and Oscar disappeared back inside, waving and smiling. Glinda did, too, and Elphaba decided to just follow their example and go with it while Morrible started making some other announcements to the people.

"Phew," said Glinda, waving her hand near her face as if trying to cool it. "Well, I do think that went rather well."

"I agree." Oscar smiled at Elphaba. "Would you come with me to my study, Cassadi? Then we can discuss your role in the Animal rehabilitation project." He glanced at Glinda. "Glinda, could you come to my study as well in about an hour? I have a task for you, too."

The blonde agreed and left, while Elphaba followed Oscar to his study and sat down.

"You look lovely," he commented, but she didn't reply, just kept on looking at him expectantly.

He rummaged through some papers. "Did you still read that report on the rehabilitation programme?"

She nodded and he pulled a paper out of the pile on his desk. "Good. Any ideas?"

"I wrote down some ideas," she said, "but I left those back in my chambers."

"Ask one of your maids to bring them to me later today," Oscar suggested. "I'd like to have a look at them." He handed her the paper. "This is the location of the centre you will be visiting next week."

She studied it. "This is just outside of the Emerald City."

"I figured it would be easier to get you acquainted with the City first," he explained, "and move on to different parts of Oz later. As word spreads about you, you can start going to different places. I have opened centres like these all over Oz and will visit some of them with you in order to supervise them." He smiled. "This first one, however, will be visited by you and Glinda. I think it will be good for the people to see the two of you together."

Elphaba nodded. "All right."

He looked at her again, shaking his head. "You remind me of someone," he said. "Now I realise what it is that I keep noticing about you looking this way. With pale skin and that hair colour... you remind me a lot of a young woman I was once in love with." He smiled. "She was from Munchkinland, too, actually."

"What was her name?" asked Elphaba. "Maybe I know her. My father was the governor – I know a lot of people from Munchkinland."

His eyes lit up. "So you do. It would most certainly be a pleasure to see her again." He cocked his head a little to the side. "She never told me her last name, and we only spent a few nights together, but I never could get her out of my head afterwards. Her first name was Melena... she lived in a mansion in – what was that place called? I think it was Nest Hardings, or something like that. It was close to Munchkin City."

Elphaba froze, feeling the blood draining from her face, and Oscar gave her a worried look.

"Elphaba?" he asked carefully. "Are you all right?"

She was so dumbstruck that she did not even correct him regarding her name.

Oscar's eyes suddenly widened when he realised what this must mean. "You know her. You know Melena, don't you?" He smiled widely. "How is she?"

"She is dead." It came out harsher than she had intended, but Elphaba was shaken to the core. She saw Oscar's smile melting off his face and she knew that what she was about to say next would only shock him more.

"She was my mother."

* * *

 **There you have it. Fiyero. And a cliffy. Sort of, anyway :P.**

 **Once again, thank you all so much for your reviews! It's so kind of you to take the time to tell me what you think of my story :).**


	6. 6

**AN: Oh, there are going to be many more trials for her before there will be Fiyeraba and/or a happy ending :P.**

 **Also, I forgot to mention this before, but kudos to Hum for helping me out with the Fliaan/Spanish in this story!**

* * *

 **6.**

By the time Elphaba returned to her rooms, she felt exhausted and her shock still lingered. What were the odds, after all, of the one woman Oscar had spent a few nights with in Munchkinland being Melena Thropp? What were the odds of the one girl the Wizard had ever requested to meet being the daughter of said woman?

What were the odds of those few nights being just enough to create _her_ – Elphaba?

They weren't certain, of course. She could still be Frexspar's daughter. The timing seemed to fit, judging by Oscar's memory, and it would explain a lot – like her mysterious magical powers, that would be the result of her parents being from different worlds; and even her skin colour, since that could have come from the elixir in the bottle that Melena had passed on to Elphaba and that Oscar had recognised as one of his... but they weren't sure.

She knew, though, deep down, that it had to be true. She had never looked like Frex. He had never seen anything of himself in her. She'd always thought that was because he didn't _want_ to see anything of himself in her, but perhaps that was not true. Perhaps there was simply nothing to see.

She remembered Nessarose remarking once, in wonder, that it was so special that Elphaba's hair was black as a raven when neither of their parents had black hair. She'd loved it. Elphaba had just been grateful that she hadn't inherited her father's brown hair or her mother's chestnut colour, thinking either of those would look even worse with her skin, and she hadn't thought about it otherwise. Now, though, all those little things suddenly seemed to fall into place.

She had only been inside for less than a minute before she left her rooms again, feeling too restless to stay there. Even the spacious chambers the Wizard had given her felt too confining right now and she headed towards the gardens, Hero following on her heels and barking happily.

The fresh air made her feel a little better and she breathed in deeply, closing her eyes as she tried to process what they had just found out. They had talked for a long while, but Glinda's arrival for her own meeting with Oscar had cut their conversation short and Elphaba had all but fled the study, with Oscar calling after her that he would send for her again tonight to finish their conversation. She was already dreading it. She'd wandered the hallways for a while after that, her head filled with thoughts and worries.

"Cassie!" Glinda appeared in her line of vision, waving and pulling Fiyero with her. Elphaba's mouth went dry.

"Hi!" Glinda said breathlessly when they had reached the young witch. The blonde smiled widely and crouched down to pet Hero, who responded enthusiastically. "Cassie, this is my fiancé, Fiyero Tiggular – the Vinkun prince. Dearest, this is Cassie."

"We've met," he said with a smile, taking her hand, kissing it, and making her heart skip a beat. "I ran into her this morning, before her introduction to the people."

"Would you care to go for a walk with us?" asked Glinda and Elphaba complied, figuring she had no valid excuse not to. She didn't really want to. It was too painful.

Nevertheless, she managed to keep her composure as they walked and Glinda talked about the event of that afternoon.

"We're to visit one of those Animal rehabilitation centres together next week, aren't we, Cassie?" she gushed at some point. "I think it will be great!"

"I think so, too," said Elphaba, forcing herself to smile.

"So, Cassadi," Fiyero began casually. "How do you like Oz so far?"

She thought carefully about her words, not wanting to give anything away. "It's interesting," she said finally. "The people here are very different from the people back home, but I like it here so far. I haven't been out much, though, so I'm looking forward to visiting the centre with you, Glinda."

The blonde smiled. "How come you speak Ozian so fluently?" she asked curiously. "You don't even have an accent!"

Shiz. Elphaba looked at the ground, trying to come up with a plausible explanation. "We were taught Ozian in school," she said finally. "I have learned to speak it when I was still very young." She shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. "I've always been good with languages, so I guess I picked it up pretty easily."

Glinda looked intrigued. "That is so amazifying! Could you say something else in Fliaan? Please? You promised me you'd teach me!"

Elphaba sighed good-naturedly. "Okay, well, what do you want me to say?"

Glinda thought about that for a while and then her face brightened. "I love pink."

"Me encanta el rosa."

"Me encanta el rosa," Glinda tried, sounding as if she had a hot potato in her mouth, which made Elphaba laugh.

"Almost." She repeated the sentence and Glinda tried again.

"Good!" Elphaba said and Glinda beamed at her.

"All right," she said. "What is "glitter is amazifying"?"

Fiyero cut in. "You do realise that "amazifying" is not a word, don't you, Glin?"

"Of course it is!" Glinda giggled and Fiyero shared a look with Elphaba, which instantly made her heart flutter in her chest again.

"I'll just go with "amazing"," Elphaba suggested drily and Fiyero grinned at her. "That would be "el glitter es genial"."

"Me encanta el rosa," said Glinda, smoothing out her pink skirt. She giggled. "El glitter es genial."

Fiyero sighed. "Now I'm going to hear nothing else for the rest of the week."

Elphaba smiled. "Well, isn't there anything _you_ would like to learn how to say in Fliaan?"

He thought about that. "I don't know. I can't really think of anything."

"You say something, Cassie," said Glinda enthusiastically. "It sound so pretty when you speak Fliaan."

"Yes," said Fiyero, smiling. "Let me hear you speak Fliaan. I've always liked the sound of it, even though I never really learned to speak or understand it myself."

"Lo siento," Elphaba said softly, glancing up at him. When she saw he was looking back at her, she lowered her gaze. "Odio mentirte. Soy yo y... estoy perdidamente enamorada de ti." _I'm sorry. I hate lying. It's me and... I'm very much in love with you._ If only she could ever say those words to him in a language he could understand... but that would not go over well, she knew. For many reasons.

He laughed. "What does that mean?"

She could feel herself blushing and she quickly brushed him off, saying, "Nothing". There was no way in Oz she was going to translate to him what she had just said. Saying it in a different language was safe. And at least she _had_ said it. Somehow that did make her feel better.

* * *

"We will have to make this public knowledge."

Elphaba's head shot up. "What?!"

"We'll make up a story," said Oscar, his hands behind his back as he stood looking out the window. "We'll say I did not know about you until you came here and then we figured it out. It's the truth, after all. I'll just tell them I travelled through Fliaan and I loved a woman there. I never knew she was pregnant and only now did we discover that I am your father. It will make the people even more acceptant of you. We'll have to think of something to tell them if they want to know your mother's name... we could say that we want to keep that a secret for privacy reasons. Although people might expect me to rekindle my relationship with this woman if she is still alive... but no – we'll say she's taken. She's married to another man, the man you always thought to be your father, and so we could never be together. We have both moved on, but I am still extremely happy with my newfound daughter." He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. That is what we'll do."

"I'm tired of lying!" Elphaba buried her hands in the skirt of her dress, clenching her fists so tightly she was afraid the fabric might rip. She just felt so _frustrated_. "I don't want to make up yet another story! All I ever do these days is lie and I feel terrible about it! Not to mention the practical issues – what if I forget something or mix things up? That one single lie about my identity is slowly turning into this huge, intricate web of lies and I don't know if I can go through with it!"

"You don't have a choice," he reminded her. "Do you want them to hunt you down again?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe I should just hunt _you_ down."

"I'm your father!"

"You're the lying bastard who made me a wicked witch!" she shouted at him, all the anger and grief she had always kept inside suddenly pouring out. "If you thought, even for a second, that we are going to have a happy father-daughter relationship now, Oscar, then you've got another thing coming! Just because I agreed to work with you, does not mean I forgave you for all you did!" She might, eventually, but not yet. She couldn't.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I know. Oh, Elphaba... I'm sorry. I know."

"Cassadi," she hissed at him. "You're even worse at lying than I am. A maid only has to hear you call me by my real name _once_ and you'll have ruined everything."

He winced. "I'm sorry –"

"Don't bother." She sighed. "Fine. Announce it to the people. Tell them how happy you are to have found your long-lost daughter Cassadi. I'll pretend to be happy, too. I hate pretending, but that doesn't mean I'm not good at it." She rose. "I'm going to go over some more things regarding our visit to the Animal rehabilitation centre tomorrow," she said. She curtseyed mockingly. "If I may be excused?"

He waved her away tiredly and she left, only feeling a little bit guilty over the way she had treated him. It was just all too much and she could not help but blame him for it. If he hadn't declared her a wicked witch, she wouldn't have to live someone else's life now. If he'd just done his best to clear her name, she wouldn't have had to pretend she didn't even know her friends anymore. If he hadn't slept around when he had just arrived in Oz, she wouldn't even _be_ here. Wouldn't that have been a much better world?


	7. 7

**AN: Again, thank you all so much!**

 **Meg: She wasn't... but she does :O. I hadn't even realised! And thank you!**

 **ElsaElphieGinny: I swore before starting on FF that I would never, EVER leave any fic unfinished, and this one I have nearly finished writing already, so no worries about that!**

 **Fae'sFlower: *cackles* Oh, dearie, the trials have hardly even begun!**

* * *

 **7.**

Elphaba watched in amusement as Glinda talked to a few young Sheep who had spent basically their whole lives in cages and were only just now learning how to speak. The blonde, of course, was teaching them to say things much like the sentences she'd wanted Elphaba to translate for her before.

"No," Glinda said, shaking her head and sending her blonde curls flying, "it's _sparkle_. Sparkle. You can say it!"

The former green girl herself was enjoying this visit more than she had even thought possible. She loved interacting with so many Animals, hearing their stories, and trying to help – even if it would just be for today – with their lessons. The staff Oscar had assigned to the rehabilitation centres were also Animals, in order to make the patients feel more comfortable, and Elphaba had already had a couple of very interesting conversations with some of them. There was an Eagle who told her about his former job as a scientist and a Doe who told Elphaba about "Miss Fae" and the things she had done for her family.

"If it weren't for her, my children would be dead," the Doe explained. "Miss Fae helped many of us Animals and we are very grateful for that."

Elphaba was stunned at that revelation. She had never imagined to mean very much to the Animals; of course, she'd tried her best and there had to be a few whose lives she had saved, but nothing significant – or so she'd thought, anyway. It made her happy to know that all her work had indeed paid off and she had made a difference, even if that was only for a few of them.

"I like watching you with them," said Glinda at some point, when the two of them were watching some of the younger Animals playing around in the back garden. "You have a gift for it, I think. They seem to trust you."

"They like you, too," Elphaba offered, but Glinda shook her head.

"It's not the same," she said. "But that's okay. I've never been around many Animals." She bit her lip. "You do remind me of someone, though, when I see you like that. Someone who also loved Animals."

"Who?" asked Elphaba cautiously. Her heart was racing, but she tried to calm herself down. If Glinda had seen through her, she would probably have responded quite differently. If anything, the lack of squeals – or screams – was a definite sign that Glinda did not know her new friend's true identity.

"My friend," Glinda answered Elphaba's question, suddenly looking very sad – or was that just Elphaba's imagination? "We were roommates at university and she was my best friend in the whole world." She twirled a curl around her finger and kept her gaze locked on the ground. "She died."

"I'm so sorry," said Elphaba, placing a hand on Glinda's arm in an attempt to comfort her. She felt a little guilty about it, but it actually made her feel a bit better that Glinda still seemed to think of her as a friend. She'd been scared that the blonde would hate her for leaving her behind all those years ago, but apparently that was not the case.

On the other hand, it made her feel even worse about deceiving Glinda and she wished for what must be the thousandth time that things could be different.

She glanced at the little Cat girl who had taken to playing with Hero, checking to see if everything was going okay, before turning back to Glinda and seeing that the blonde was still looking wistful.

"Was it long ago?" asked Elphaba, figuring it would be strange to not ask questions. Besides, she was a little curious as to how Glinda really felt about her and her death now.

Glinda's answer came instantly and it surprised her friend. "Two months, a week, and two days."

Elphaba's surprise must have shown on her face, because Glinda blushed a little and explained, "I know it must seem strange that I kept track of the days so closely, but... I guess I've been counting to see if it would get any easier, you know?" She hugged herself, lowering her gaze. "It hasn't so far. I hadn't seen her in a long time when she died," she continued, more quietly now, "but I still miss her more than I ever thought possible. I think about her every day and I really regret the way we parted."

Elphaba wanted to tell her not to, that it was okay and that she was happy Glinda didn't hate her. She wanted to tell her that she was standing right here, alive and well, and that Glinda, too, was the best friend she'd ever had and was sure she ever would have. She wanted to tell her she was sorry.

She couldn't, though, and so she settled for hugging the blonde gingerly, tightening her grip when she felt Glinda clinging to her. Her friend had always been good at pretending to be bubbly and happy, but it was only now that Elphaba realised how fragile she really was.

And how much she really missed her best friend, apparently.

Elphaba was even more shocked when she suddenly felt the blonde's shoulders shaking and she realised that Glinda was crying.

"I'm sorry," the girl sniffled, pulling away and digging into her purse in search of a handkerchief. "It's just that... I feel awful for the way I have treated her in the past, and for..." She trailed off and Elphaba guessed she was thinking about the day the then-still-green girl had defied the Wizard. Of course, Glinda couldn't say much about that day, lest she give something away that she thought Cassadi could not know.

All those lies.

"Anyway," said Glinda, dabbing at her eyes, "there was just still so much I wanted to tell her and now I can't, you know? She's gone..."

"Maybe you could write down what you want to tell her," Elphaba suggested, trying to think of a solution that would give Glinda some comfort without betraying who "Cassadi" really was. "And in any case, Glin... if she really was that good a friend, I think she would forgive you for all you've done, just like you apparently did for her."

"How could I not?" Glinda smiled sadly. "I think I was the only friend she ever had; but despite how popular I was and how many friends _I_ had, there weren't many who mattered. She was my very best friend, Cassie, you must understand that. You can forgive your best friend anything. Pretty much, anyway."

Elphaba chuckled. "I guess you're right. I don't think I ever really had a best friend," she said, figuring that answer to be safer than "I had a best friend, too, and you remind me of her". One lie more or less was not going to make a difference anymore now.

"Maybe we could be best friends," said Glinda, slowly, as if still thinking about the idea. "I mean... I miss someone to talk to. And you do remind me of her – maybe that's why I liked you so much from the moment I first saw you." She smiled again, but her smile was more genuine this time. "Thank you for making me feel better."

Elphaba smiled back. "Thank you for telling me."

The moment was broken when Hero suddenly raced between their feet, followed by the young Cat, who was giggling as she chased the dog. Elphaba rolled her eyes and called, "Hero!".

"We should head back soon," said Glinda, glancing at the time. "I had a great time, though, Cassadi. I really liked doing this with you and talking to you."

"I did, too," Elphaba agreed. "I wanted to thank you for making me feel so welcome here in Oz and in the Palace," she added, figuring it wouldn't hurt to make the act seem a bit more convincing, and Glinda beamed at her.

"Oh, Cassie, I simply _must_ show you the rest of the City once!" she gushed, going back to her usual self. "Do you have time to explore it with me later this week? Please? I would love to tell you about everything!" Her face fell. "Although we'd have to do that soon, because I'll be leaving for Munchkinland next week," she said glumly. "Things are going wrong there with the new governor and the Wizard wants to send me to try and make things right."

 _Nessa_. Elphaba bit her lip. She hoped Glinda would succeed in reasoning with the girl, but she doubted it. Nessa could be as hard-headed as her older sister when she wanted to be and it had been clear to Elphaba last time that the youngest Thropp was not going to give in when it came to the Munchkins' rights.

She tried not to think of the way she had left her sister, with an unconscious Boq who had been turned to tin. She'd had no other choice, after all, and she knew it was true, what she'd told Nessa before leaving. It would never be enough.

"I hate the thought of you being gone," Elphaba confessed and Glinda beamed at her.

"I will miss you, too." She giggled. "At least Morrible is gone, too, though. You wouldn't want her to be hanging around you, trust me."

Elphaba grinned. Morrible had left for Quadling Country a couple of days earlier and would not be returning until the next week; and the young witch had to admit that she was glad that the woman was gone. She hated the way Morrible always looked at her, eyes slightly narrowed. She knew the hag didn't trust her and a part of her feared that she would try something... although what or to what end, Elphaba didn't know.

Hero came racing back to the two girls, his tail wagging once again, and Glinda squealed softly and bent down to pick him up. He licked her face and wiggled in her arms, making her laugh. "Oh, Cassie, he is just _precious_."

"I know," said Elphaba, smiling as she watched the puppy's antics. She had grown to love Hero more than she'd originally thought she would. He followed her everywhere and she liked his company. He made her feel a lot less lonely.

Glinda giggled when he licked her face again. "I should ask Fiyero if he could give me one of my own," she said, beaming. "Perhaps as a wedding gift?"

Elphaba ignored the slight pang she felt at that and instead said casually, "You could always ask." She looked around her, at all the Animals staying in the centre, and sighed. "I wish there was more we could do for them..."

"We're doing our best," said Glinda earnestly, placing a hand on Elphaba's shoulder. "They're learning how to speak again, Cassie – that's worth a lot. Sooner or later, they'll all be fine again."

"I'll make sure of that," Elphaba promised herself. "I'm going to make sure they all get better and will be able to live among the humans again if they want to... although there are bound to be some Animals who won't want to." Her eyes lit up. "Perhaps we could build villages for them – just for Animals – where the ones can live who have grown so afraid of humans that they cannot live among them anymore," she said, growing more excited with every word. "I'll talk to Oscar about that."

Glinda was looking wistful again. "You really do remind me of her."

Elphaba looked at her cautiously, but the blonde seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. She handed Hero back to Elphaba and smoothed out the skirt of her dress. "It's time to go. I'll go say good-bye to the Animals here, you do the same, and we'll meet at the carriage in ten minutes?"

Elphaba agreed and watched as the blonde walked away. She ached to tell Glinda, hating to see her friend so distressed and feeling guilty over things she did not at all have to feel guilty about. If anyone should regret the last day they'd seen one another, it should be Elphaba. She never should have left her friend there. She should have stayed with Glinda to make sure she'd be okay, but she'd been so caught up in her own principles and values that she had scarcely even thought about her friend and now it was too late. She'd hurt her, she knew. She'd hurt her a lot. Not just by leaving, but by never contacting her again and by dying, too – or letting Glinda believe that, anyway. She'd have to let go of that, since there was no way to fix it now. Elphaba had hurt the beautiful blonde, but she swore to herself that Cassadi never would.


	8. 8

**AN: I find Helen-of-Troy-7's idea interesting. Who do you think will find out Elphaba's true identity first - Glinda or Fiyero? (The answer will be revealed in Chapter 15.)**

 **Luna the Zekrom, thank you for all your reviews on the previous chapters! :)**

 **Big kudos to Guestie for being the 100th reviewer of this story - and a big THANK YOU to all of you who have reviewed. I don't think I've ever hit the 100 review mark so early on in a story and I'm really glad you're all liking it, so virtual hugs and chocolate for all of you!**

* * *

 **8.**

"You have such beautiful hair," Glinda commented admiringly as she fiddled with the chestnut curls, carefully running a brush through them and studying several kinds of hair products as she contemplated which ones to use. "So thick, and those curls... not to mention the colour is beautiful. I would kill to have your hair colour." She paused. "Actually, no, I wouldn't, on second thought. I mean, it's beautiful and all, but it wouldn't look very good with certain shades of pink. Not to mention I wouldn't be able to wear lavender anymore..." Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "I'll stick with blonde, but I still love your hair."

Elphaba could not help but grin and Glinda smiled back at her via the mirror. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure," the witch said and Glinda took a deep breath.

"My curls aren't natural."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"I'm serious," said Glinda. "I curl my hair every morning. Everyone thinks it's natural, but it's not."

"Glin," Elphaba said patiently, "I think everyone knows that."

The blonde suddenly looked panicked. "Wait. What? Really?"

Elphaba laughed. "Don't worry about it. Everyone loves you, with or without curls."

"That's very sweet of you, Cassie, but I still don't like it." Glinda furrowed her brow, then shook it off. "Anyway, what's your secret? I know you have one."

Elphaba swore her heart stopped for a moment and she desperately tried to think of something to say.

"I mean, your hair always looks perfect and yet you tell me you never use any hair products," Glinda continued and Elphaba felt silly for immediately assuming the worst. She was getting paranoid. "How do you do that?"

Elphaba shrugged. "I guess I just got lucky," she said. "Good genes, maybe." Yeah, right. Wizard's genes. Deceiver's genes. Murderer's genes. She swallowed. "Can I tell you a secret, too?" She didn't know if she was supposed to tell, but since Oscar was planning on announcing it to the public soon, anyway, she didn't see why she could not tell Glinda now. It would certainly help her to be able to talk about it to someone whom she trusted.

"About your hair?"

She bit back a smile. "No, not about my hair."

Glinda apparently sensed how serious her friend was, because she let go of Elphaba's hair and sat down on a chair beside her instead, looking at her. "What is it?"

Elphaba took a deep breath. "A few days ago, Oscar – the Wizard – and I found out that... that he is actually my father."

The blonde girl's eyes widened. "What?"

"I don't know how," Elphaba said truthfully. "I mean, obviously I know _how_ ," she felt her cheeks growing warm and Glinda giggled a little, "but I don't know the specifics."

Glinda burst out giggling fully now and Elphaba groaned. "That did not come out right. You know what I mean."

"I do," the other girl said, still laughing. "I'm sorry."

"He was in love with my mother a long time ago," Elphaba continued, "and he never knew she was pregnant. I never knew my father wasn't my real father, either, although I am now starting to wonder if my mother knew..."

"Ask her," Glinda suggested and Elphaba looked at her oddly for a moment before remembering that her mother was supposed to still be alive, back in Fliaan, and that she could easily write to her.

"I don't want to," said Elphaba, quickly making something up. "Not in a letter, anyway. I'll ask her next time I see her... it's just so confusing."

"I can imagine." Glinda wrapped an arm around the young witch's shoulders. "If you need to talk, I'm here for you. I don't want you to struggle with all this alone."

Elphaba smiled. "Thank you," she said softly. Her old friendship with Glinda may be gone, but perhaps it was stronger than she had thought it to be, if it could be rekindled so easily – even though Glinda thought her friendship with Cassadi was something new. They had always been unlikely friends and although she supposed that Cassadi was more normal than Elphaba had been, the friendship between Glinda and Cassadi was still a little strange. They were nothing alike and yet they found one another every time. She didn't believe in fate or destiny, but she'd almost start thinking that their friendship was somehow meant to be.

Mentally chiding herself for such ridiculous thoughts, she took a deep breath. "Okay, well, what do you want to do with my hair?" she asked and the moment was over. Glinda spent the next hour fussing over Elphaba's hair and choosing something for her to wear and then the two girls headed out into the Emerald City, where Glinda showed her the fanciest boutiques, the largest malls, and the best hair dressers. Once she realised that her friend was more interested in seeing other things, she also took Elphaba to see some of the highlights of the city, the ones that were most popular with tourists, and Elphaba pretended to be as amazed as she had been the _real_ first time she'd set foot in this city and seen its splendour.

The beautiful blonde left for Munchkinland a couple of days later, planning to stay away for at least two weeks to try and help settle everything, and Elphaba was surprised by how soon and how badly she missed Glinda's presence in the palace. It felt like from the moment she had left, the entire building just felt empty. She tried to entertain herself by getting to know her maids better, playing with Hero, and throwing herself into the Animal rehabilitation project, but she could not deny that she really did miss her friend.

Glinda herself had been dismayed at the timing of her trip, too, since there were to be some grand things happening in the City that she would be missing. For one, Oscar was going to tell the public about Elphaba – or, well, Cassadi – being his daughter; and there was to be a huge ball to celebrate this fact. Elphaba was already dreading it.

The day before the big announcement, four days after Glinda had left, she sought refuge in the library, as she often did. It was one of the things that she genuinely _did_ love about this new life.

She was just working on her project, a pile of books stacked neatly on top of one another sitting beside her, when someone came in.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the person said and she spun around upon hearing Fiyero's voice. "I didn't mean to disturb you." He took in her wide-eyed expression and chuckled nervously. "Or startle you. Sorry about that, too."

"No, no, it's fine," she hastened to assure him, removing her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. "I needed a break, anyway."

He was looking at her strangely. "You wear glasses?"

"Only for reading." Yet something else that could give her away. She was starting to think that she and Oscar should have thought this through better. On the other hand, she could hardly pretend to not need glasses – she'd never be able to read anything.

Fiyero fetched a book and sat down on a couch by the fireplace and Elphaba, suddenly feeling cold herself, hesitantly joined him. "So... you must be very excited about your engagement," she said awkwardly, wanting to talk to him, but not really knowing where to start or what she even wanted to talk about.

He sighed, putting his book aside. "I guess," he said tiredly. "Frankly, I haven't really thought about it that much. I've had other things on my mind, and..." He faltered and then shook his head. "Never mind."

"The death of the Wicked Witch of the West," she said on an impulse and his head shot up.

"What?"

"Well, you're the Captain of the Guard, aren't you?" she asked. "Didn't you have a lot to arrange and take care of after the greatest threat in all of Oz was eliminated?" Upon his questioning look, she explained, "I've heard all about it from my maids." That wasn't a lie. Vana and Cheri had been gossiping about the Witch's death and its consequences a lot.

"Oh." He exhaled slowly. "Of course. Yes, I've had a lot to do. Anyway," he changed the subject, "I heard that the Wizard is going to make an announcement tomorrow. Do you know what that is about?"

She sighed heavily. It seemed like no matter where she went or what she did, she could never escape Oscar and their web of lies. "I do know, but I'm not really allowed to tell," she said glumly. She probably shouldn't even have told Glinda. And besides, she didn't want to talk about it. Not here, not now. Not with him.

"I see. It must be cause for celebration, though, given the ball planned afterwards." She could tell that he was trying to make conversation with her, but that his heart was not in it. She wondered why. Did he miss Glinda that much? It pained her to think about it, but she chided herself for that. He was with Glinda and that was it. She'd never stood a chance as Elphaba and she would never stand a chance as Cassadi. Even if she did, she wouldn't let it get that far. She couldn't hurt her best friend like that.

"You and Glinda have grown pretty close since you came to live here, haven't you?" he asked suddenly.

Shaken from her thoughts, she blinked. "Huh? Oh... yes, we have," she said. She hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "She thinks she's taken such a quick liking to me because I remind her of someone she used to know. A friend of hers who passed away."

She closely watched his reaction to that, curious as to what it would be. He stared at her for a while, clearly taken aback. Then the look in his eyes changed and she saw him studying her closely before nodding.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, you are a lot like her."

She decided to play dumb. "You knew her, too, then?"

"I did," he said shortly, clearly not wanting to talk about this, either. Elphaba supposed it was difficult that the person he had been hunting and hating with a passion had also been his fiancée's best friend and that he found it hard to talk about it with her because she was Glinda's friend, too. Did Glinda know how much he had hated Elphaba or had he kept that fact hidden from her?

She hugged herself. "Is it silly that I'm nervous?" she changed the subject.

He frowned. "Why?"

"About the announcement, and the ball." She sighed. "I don't really like being the centre of attention. I'm always worried I'll do something stupid."

He laughed. "You'll be fine. It's a shame Glinda isn't here, though," he said thoughtfully. "She'd be able to talk you through it without much effort. She's made for those kinds of things."

"I know. I hate that she's gone at this particular time." She glanced at him through her eyelashes. She knew she shouldn't do what she did next, but she couldn't help it – she was still drawn to him and, if nothing else, she really wanted to be friends with him again. "Do you think you could maybe help me?" she asked impulsively. "Of course you don't have to babysit me, or something, but... you know, I thought maybe..."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Sure. It's not all that hard," he promised her. "I'll help you through it."

She returned the smile. "Thank you." She allowed herself to hope, very carefully, that something of her former friendships could still be salvaged, even though it would not seem that way to Glinda and Fiyero. The thought made her feel better. Perhaps not all of her old life was lost.


	9. 9

**AN: So right now, I have two votes for Glinda and one for Fiyero. You'll see who was right!**

 **Some of you mentioned that you'd like to read a bit of this story from Fiyero's and/or Glinda's POV, so I thought I'd tell you now that I plan on writing (and have written so far - up to chapter 20) the whole story from Elphaba's POV. I don't know, I felt like that works better with this story.**

 **Doglover645: Fiyassadi? Cassero? I don't know, you tell me!**

 **PerlogAnnwyl: She does, although I don't think they'd recognise her because of that - especially since they haven't seen her for two years. (Although once they puzzle things out, there are going to be a lot of things that suddenly fall into place.)**

* * *

 **9.**

"...and that is how I found out," the Wizard concluded his speech, his voice softer, but still clearly audible as it carried across the square, "that Cassadi Welther is not just any magically talented girl." He put his arm around Elphaba's shoulders and she did her best to produce a convincing smile. He looked at her affectionately. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from making a face at him. "She is my daughter."

The silence lasted for about three clock-ticks before the Ozians started muttering amongst one another, clearly shocked by this revelation. Oscar had just told them the story he and Elphaba had thought up – a bit elaborately, in Elphaba's opinion, but, well, she wasn't the one running the country, so she didn't really have a say in it – leading to the conclusion that he was a father. He had expressed his hope to Elphaba that the people would rejoice at the revelation of their great ruler having a legitimate heir, at which she had simply snorted.

Hero squirmed in her arms and she tightened her grip on him. "I know, honey," she muttered to the puppy. "I hate this, too. Just stay still and look cute a little bit longer."

As if he had heard her, Hero settled down in her arms again and she smiled wryly. At least there was _someone_ around here who listened to her.

"Long live Princess Cassadi!" a herald to her left shouted and the people took over the chant.

"Long live Princess Cassadi!" they cried. "Long live our Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"

"Doesn't this ever make you feel like throwing up?" she hissed at her father – Oz, she hated that thought, but she supposed she'd have to get used to it. "They're following you like sheep. Blind, obedient, stupid sheep who praise everything you do and who do everything you say."

"I know," he told her, somehow maintaining his smile as he talked. "How else did you think I managed to become Oz's ruler in the first place?"

She had to admit that he had a point.

The herald announced that His Ozness and Her Highness would be answering any questions the following day at noon and that tonight, a ball would be held in celebration of this great discovery. Thankfully, Elphaba was then allowed back inside.

She made her way back over to her chambers as soon as she could escape the excitedly twittering people swarming around her and Oscar. Unfortunately, it was much the same there, since Vana and Cheri simply could not stop talking about this new revelation and what it meant. Elphaba tried to tune them out as she set Hero down on the floor and succumbed to a ritual of bathing, scrubbing, dressing, brushing, powdering, and fidgeting. Both maids never stopped talking during this and Elphaba was rather exhausted by the time they finished their work on her, the only interruption having been a small break for a light dinner that had been brought up for them.

They both gushed about how radiant and beautiful she looked as they led her over to the standing mirror in Elphaba's dressing room, waiting expectantly as the formerly green girl laid eyes on her reflection.

Her chestnut-coloured curls had been arranged in some sort of half-updo, with loose curls framing her face and the whole thing secured with a delicate hair clasp inlaid with what looked suspiciously like diamonds. The earrings, necklace, and bracelet she was wearing looked equally expensive and her make-up had been applied carefully, bringing out her large, dark eyes and sharp cheekbones. The dress itself was without a doubt the most beautiful and yet horrible thing she had ever seen, let alone put on; it was a dark red, strapless number with a horribly puffy skirt and silver beading everywhere – a proper ball gown that Glinda would probably love to death – and the shoes she was wearing were shimmering silver heels that would probably deform her feet permanently after a night of walking and dancing in them.

It had taken her about five minutes of staring at her reflection in the mirror to realise that the beauty of the dress was _not_ ruined by the person wearing it; she looked beautiful. Somehow, that made her feel oddly giddy and sad at the same time. For the longest time, she hadn't liked dressing up because she knew she could never look good – at best, she'd look a little less bad than usual. Even now, when she had at least slightly gotten used to her new looks, her initial reaction to pretty things was that she'd just ruin them by wearing them. She knew she looked beautiful, but she didn't _feel_ beautiful. Perhaps she never would.

And regardless of whether or not she was beautiful, the dress reallywasn't her at all. It was more something Glinda would wear, but she knew she would feel much more comfortable in a simpler, black dress than in this gown – green skin or not.

Her critical analysis was interrupted by a knock on the door and Cheri hurried over to open it. Elphaba cursed the way her heart leapt upon hearing Fiyero's voice and she turned around in a rustling of skirts just as her maid led him into the room. His eyes widened when he saw her and she could feel herself blush.

"Wow," he breathed.

"Do you like it?" she asked, uncharacteristically shy. She twirled a caramel-coloured curl around her finger. "Isn't it... you know... too much?"

"Maybe," he acknowledged, coming further into the room. "You certainly don't _need_ all of that." Her head snapped up and he gave her a puzzled look. She quickly looked away, her cheeks burning; but before her mind's eye she saw him pretending to toss his hair again, teasing her after she'd first been "Galindafied". _You don't have to do that, you know._

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You really do look beautiful, though."

"Thank you," she replied, her face still feeling warm.

He smiled and let go of her hand, offering her his arm instead. "May I escort you to the ball, Your Royal Highness?"

"Oh, sweet Oz," she moaned as she accepted his arm and let him lead her out of the dressing room. She bit her lip when a wave of panic suddenly crushed her. "I'm a royal highness now! What was I thinking?! I'm not cut out for this!"

"Trust me," he said, "you'll grow into it. If you'd told me three years ago that I would be the Wizard's Captain of the Guard today, I would have laughed in your face, too. I know it's much the same for Glinda. You'll learn to play this new role as you go."

"What if I don't want to learn to play this new role?" she complained without thinking. "It's all fake, anyway."

He looked at her sharply and she rambled on, "Everyone being nice to me, all the bows and the smiles and the fancy dresses... none of it is real and none of it is _me_."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Your Highness," he said, shaking his head. "You're Oz's Crown Princess and one day you will be its queen."

Queen. She hadn't even thought of that. The notion nearly made her burst into laughter. If only the people knew that the Wicked Witch of the West was going to be their queen...

"Well, I don't want to be," she said stubbornly, knowing she sounded like a petulant child, but not really caring. "And don't call me that. People have only been calling me "Your Highness" for a few hours and I'm already fed up with it."

Fiyero looked like he was suppressing a grin and she scowled at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said innocently, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes; and for a moment he reminded her a lot of the carefree boy he had been at Shiz. Then, however, the sparkle disappeared and the weariness returned as he gave her a tired smile. "I am sorry, though, Cassadi. I know what it's like to have something forced on you that you're not really sure you want."

Of course. He was a prince, after all. "I know you do. I'm sorry," she apologised. "I'm being childish."

He shook his head. "Not really. I understand where you're coming from."

A cry sounded from behind them and they both turned, only to find Hero racing towards them, barking enthusiastically, with a frantic Vana chasing after him. Elphaba grinned as she knelt down to pet the dog. "What's the matter, sweetie? Didn't you want to stay with Cheri and Vana?"

"I am so sorry, Your Highness," said Vana, her face red with embarrassment. "Cheri opened the door and he just ran off..."

"It's okay," Elphaba assured her. She scooped Hero up in her arms and turned back to Fiyero. "I think you two have met before, but I don't think you've been introduced officially," she said with a small grin. "Fiyero, this is Hero." _Yero and Hero. Yero my hero..._

"Hero," he echoed, a strange look flitting across his face, and she watched him closely. Did he maybe remember her calling him that after all? Was he thinking about that now – the Wicked Witch of the West, back when she had still just been a green girl, calling him "Yero my hero" – and regretting ever having spent time with her?

"The Wizard... my father," she corrected herself, "gave him to me when I just moved in here, so that I would have a friend." She smiled when Hero tried to lick her face, as if he was proving her point.

"That was a good idea." Fiyero smiled, but she couldn't read his expression. "And now you have more friends here, too. Glinda, and me..."

"We're friends?" She couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. A part of her had thought that he had only been friendly to her for Glinda's sake, because they were friends now. She and Fiyero had hardly talked. She liked the thought, though.

"Yes," he said, before adding, "if you want to be."

"Yes," she said softly. "I'd like that."

He smiled again and she handed Hero over to Vana, turning back and allowing Fiyero to escort her the rest of the way to the ballroom. "You know," she said casually, "perhaps you could get Glinda a puppy as well..."

* * *

The rest of the night was filled with horrors – in Elphaba's opinion, anyway. The ballroom was full of people she did not know and everyone wanted to see her and talk to her. Of course, she and Oscar also had to pretend to be a loving father and daughter, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable, to say the least. She even had to dance with him a few times.

She also had to dance with basically every other man in the room and only a few hours into the ball, she realised that her miserable prediction about her shoes had been right – there was no way that she would still be able to walk tomorrow. She was starting to seriously consider just kicking the stupid heels off and riding out the rest of the night on bare feet, but the fact that the floor was starting to get sticky with spilled drinks – and the fact that at least three men had already stepped on her toes whilst dancing – made her keep her shoes on. The only good thing about the night was that Fiyero kept her company most of the time, quietly telling her all he knew about the guests, which was sometimes helpful and sometimes hilarious. She did not have much time to talk to him, between all the other people approaching her and Oscar chasing her around all the time for some pretend father-daughter time, but she was grateful that he was there.

By the time the stupid ball drew to an end, she was extremely tired, slightly tipsy from all the wine she'd had, and more than a little cranky; yet she plastered on a smile and remained friendly as she and Oscar bade their guests good-bye and thanked them for coming. The moment they were gone, though, the smile melted right off her face and she heaved a long, deep sigh.

"That was horrible."

"It wasn't that bad," Oscar protested and she glared at him.

"Did you dance with twenty men who crushed your fingers and stepped on your toes?"

He chuckled. "Well –"

"Did you have to stand, walk, and dance in high heels all night?"

"I'm starting to see your point, but –"

"Did you have to pretend to be happy that the man who ruined your life turned out to be your father?" she spat and he faltered, then fell silent.

She felt a little guilty for saying that, but she didn't take it back. She was too mentally and physically exhausted and too irritated to consider her manners right now.

"Are you ever going to forgive me for that?" he asked quietly and she shrugged.

"Maybe," she said. "But not today. And not tomorrow, either."

He understood what she wanted to say. It wouldn't be easy and it wouldn't be soon – if she'd ever be able to forgive him at all. She thought she would be, someday; she'd concluded before that he was mostly only a slightly naive and power-hungry man who had made mistakes, just like she had only been a slightly naive girl who had made mistakes as well. She still couldn't look at him without thinking of the Animals she'd seen during her years as the Witch of the West, though. Animals who had lost their speech. Captured Animals. Hurt Animals, dying Animals, dead Animals, lonely Animals whose families had been murdered by the Gale Force... she had seen too much of the damage his mistakes had done to be able to forgive him for them so easily.

He nodded. He suddenly looked very tired. "I understand. Well... goodnight, Cassadi."

"Goodnight." She watched him go and she slumped against the wall. She really wanted to go to bed now, but she didn't think she'd be able to make it all the way up to the third floor without stumbling. She watched the servants clean up the mess for a while before dragging herself out of the ballroom and through the hallway, up a flight of stairs. Halfway up the second flight, she took a wrong step and yelped as she fell. Luckily, she did not fall down the stairs; but when she scrambled up the steps and examined her right foot, she discovered that the high heel of her shoe had broken off.

Great. Just perfect.

She sighed wearily and pushed herself to her feet again, taking off the shoes and padding along barefoot. She rounded a corner, only to find Fiyero approaching her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his face concerned. "I heard you cry out. What happened?"

She held up the ruined heels as an explanation and he grimaced sympathetically. "Ouch."

"It wasn't so much painful as it was frustrating." She sighed. "I just want this day to be over," she grumbled, more to herself than to him. "Is that so much to ask for?"

He smiled and before she realised what he was planning, he had scooped her up in his arms and carried her down the hallway.

"What are you doing?" she asked, shocked; and he grinned at her.

"Ending this day for you," he said. "I'll carry you back to spare your undoubtedly sore feet and then you can crawl into bed and sleep."

She laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. "Thanks," she mumbled.

She thought she felt him press his lips to the top of her head, but she figured that was probably just her imagination.

* * *

 **Reviews make me happy! :)**

 **And oops, I almost forgot - a picture of Elphaba's ball gown, as well as pictures of her green dinner dress and the dress she wore to her introduction to the people, is on my blog! (queenofcliffies dot blogspot dot nl)**


	10. 10

**I'm sorry updates are so irregular - I keep forgetting, I'm pretty busy. In any case, thanks again so much for all your reviews!**

* * *

 **10.**

All she really wanted after that disastrous ball was to flop down on her bed and sleep for two days; but unfortunately, she was woken up early the next morning by her maids, who apologetically explained to her that the Wizard had requested her presence. Half an hour later, she stalked into the throne room in a possibly even fouler mood than she had been in the night before.

"You'd better have a really good reason to have dragged me from my bed so early after last night," she hissed, crossing her arms, but Oscar just smiled at her knowingly.

"How are your feet?"

"I can't feel them at the moment." She scowled at him. "Why am I here?"

He sighed, growing serious. "El–" She gave him a sharp look and he corrected himself, "Cassadi... I would like to get to know you a little better. Now that we know... well, what we know... I realise that we will probably never have a real father-daughter relationship. I've hurt you too much for that." He hung his head. "But I'd like for us to try to at least get along."

She snorted. "You do realise that only letting me get a few hours of sleep is not a great way to start getting me to like you, right? Couldn't you get to know me in the afternoon?"

He grinned a little. "Sorry. You could take a nap later today," he offered.

"Could I?" she asked sarcastically. "Because I seem to recall the people being told that you and I would be in the square at noon to answer questions about your little announcement yesterday."

Oscar had the decency to look sheepish. "Yes, well... perhaps you could nap afterwards?"

"Never mind." She sighed and slumped down in a chair. "Go on ahead, then. How do you propose you and I could get along?"

"Well, we could start by exchanging information about ourselves," he suggested, taking a seat across from her. "After all, aside from the things I learned about you on that day you first came here..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "You know, when..."

"When you made me a wicked witch," she said sarcastically. "I remember."

"Right." He shook his head. "Did I ever apologise for that?"

"You did, but it wouldn't hurt you to do it again."

"Right," he said again. "Well, I... I hope you know that I'm really sorry about what I did to you that day. And not just because you turn out to be my daughter," he added. "I realised very soon that what I had done was wrong. I should never have listened to Morrible. I was too easily influenced and it might have cost me any chance at a relationship with the only child I will ever have."

Elphaba didn't say anything. Part of her wanted to reassure him and tell him that there might still be a chance to have that relationship after all; but she wasn't sure if that was true and she did not want to make a promise she wouldn't be able to keep.

"It's why I sent her away so many times since you came here," he told her. "Morrible, I mean. She's been trying to get me to make more changes – she doesn't like the fact that I'm restoring the Animals' rights and she doesn't like my relationship with you. She still doesn't trust you."

"Well, the feeling is mutual."

"I figured as much." He shook his head. "She wants me to use your magic for some things that I do not entirely... agree with. I've been sending her on trips throughout all of Oz until I can figure out what to do with her," he confessed.

"Fire her," Elphaba told him bluntly. "You don't want her anywhere near you."

"I fear that would only prompt her to go against us completely," he said. "She has magic."

"So do I."

"Still. It might be too dangerous." He thought about it for a moment. "Although perhaps we could make her some kind of ambassador in a distant part of Oz... I'll have to think about that. In any case, El– Cassadi, this is about us, not about Morrible. Tell me something about yourself."

She shifted, uncomfortable. "Like what?"

"Like... what's your favourite food?" He smiled at her surprised look. "We'll start out slowly."

Over the course of the next hour or so, somehow he managed to get her to tell him more about herself – and told her things about him in return – and she found that by the time she left, she felt like she knew him better... and they actually had a lot in common. Perhaps they could indeed learn to get along. She supposed that would certainly make things a lot easier.

Morrible might pose a problem, she mused as she walked back to her chambers, but she had no idea what the older woman could possibly be planning. She did want Elphaba on their side, after all. Her magical powers were useful to Morrible and yet the woman had not yet tried to use them in any way. Elphaba didn't think she would try to harm or kill her... but perhaps she would try something else – like blackmailing her somehow into performing magic for her that she was not willing to perform. The fact that Morrible had not asked her to use her powers yet was somehow rather suspicious and it made Elphaba suspect that the old hag was planning something big. She'd have to be vigilant. In any case, she was glad Morrible was gone for the time being.

Upon returning, she found a steaming mug of coffee on the desk and she smiled. At least Oscar was trying. She decided to try as well and give him a chance.

* * *

When it was time for her and Oscar to go out and answer the people's questions about their announcement, Elphaba discovered – much to her dismay – that Madame Morrible had returned from Quadling Country. The woman was now giving her icy smiles at every opportunity she got and Elphaba feared that she was planning something.

It wasn't until that night after dinner, however, that Morrible approached her.

"It's about time you start making yourself useful," she told Elphaba bluntly. "I need you to cast some spells."

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. "Watch your tongue, Morrible," she warned the older woman. "You forget that you're talking to your Crown Princess."

Morrible snorted. "Oh, please, little Miss _Cassadi_ ," she said, emphasising Elphaba's fake name. "I'll admit that I was a little surprised, too, when I heard about your being Oscar's daughter; but then I realised I shouldn't have been. And you do know what it means, don't you? It means you're a child of both worlds. It means you're probably even more powerful than we already think you are."

Elphaba did not like the gleam in Morrible's eyes when she said that.

"You came here to supposedly study magic with the Wizard," Morrible continued, "so it's time you showed the people some magic."

"Such as?" Elphaba asked carefully, not sure where Morrible was going with this.

Morrible rolled her eyes. "Do I have to spell out everything for you? Impress the people, dearie. Find a healing spell and heal some injuries at a hospital. Invent yourself a flying contraption – such as Glinda's signature bubble – for people to recognise you by. Help some children make their performance of the school musical extra spectacular with some spells for sparks and fireworks. Do something that will make the people cheer for you and your magical powers. After all," she added sarcastically, "we all know how the Ozians responded to your magic last time."

Elphaba snarled at the hag. "And whose fault was that?!"

"Mine," said Morrible smugly. "I still think it was a marvellous little ploy on my part." She brought her face closer to Elphaba's. "Don't make any mistakes about who is in charge, Miss Elphaba," she said in a low voice. "You may hold a title and be on good terms with Oscar now, but that does not mean you hold the power. I am everywhere. I am always watching and I can manipulate pretty much everything and everyone in this palace. You'd better just do as I say and not agitate me or you might just suddenly find our dearest Glinda falling ill or a house dropping on your sister's pretty head... not to mention that _other_ thing I could do to you." She smiled wickedly. "When the time comes for you to help me with some magical issues, you'd better work with me or I might just expose your true identity to all of Oz. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" She straightened and patted Elphaba's cheek. "Just so we're clear, dearie." With that, she left, leaving a stunned and slightly nauseous Elphaba behind.

* * *

After everything that had happened, Elphaba was sure she didn't want to come out of her rooms again for at least a week. When Oscar came to see her, however, and suggested she visit another Animal centre, this one in the Vinkus, she instantly jumped at the opportunity. Perhaps it would be good for her to get out of the palace completely for a few days... and at least in the Vinkus, she would be free of Morrible – if only for a little while.

She brought Hero along, as usual; and she watched him play around her feet as she waited for the carriage that would take her to the Vinkus. The journey would take about half a day and she would spend the night in the Vinkus before travelling back late the next afternoon. That would give her plenty of time to interact with the Animals and talk to the supervisors there about their policies. She felt responsible for this entire project and she wanted to do everything she could to try and make it work.

When someone stepped up beside her, she turned her head and frowned. "Fiyero? What are you doing here? Did you come to see me off?" It was the only explanation she could think of; but then she noticed the bag he had with him and her frown deepened.

Hero barked and jumped up against Fiyero's leg, making the prince laugh even as he bent down to pet the puppy. "Actually, it's not exactly that." He straightened and smiled at her. "I'm coming with you."

She ignored the way her heart started fluttering in her chest at that. "You're coming with me? To the Animal centre?" she asked, blinking. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Because I want to see for myself what's happening there," he said. "I'm the Captain of the Guard; I'm supposed to know everything going on in Oz. Besides, you and Glinda were so enthusiastic last time that I can't help being curious. Also, the Vinkus is my home, meaning I could act as your guide, and... well, I figured you could use some company." He suddenly looked a little unsure of himself. "Don't you want me to come?"

"No, I do!" she hastened to assure him. She self-consciously pushed a lock of chestnut hair out of her face, only to nervously start twirling it around her finger instead. "I mean... I don't mind." She cursed her blush. "It'd be nice to have some company, indeed. Hero is the sweetest thing in existence, but he's not particularly articulate."

Fiyero grinned. "Good, then."

"And you probably need some distraction," she added, "what with Glinda being gone... you must miss her terribly." She didn't even know why she said that. Why did she say that? As if she really needed the reminder of their happy almost-marriage rubbed in.

To her surprise, however, his face fell a little and he merely shifted, clearing his throat. "Yes, well, she's... she's a pleasure to be around," he said, obviously evading giving her a direct response. "The palace somehow seems a little less radiant without her."

She scrutinised him, but he avoided her gaze. She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, look," he said in a pitiful attempt to distract her, "there's our carriage."

The driver helped them haul in their luggage and before long, they were on their way, sitting on benches opposite one another, with Hero curling up in Elphaba's lap and falling asleep.

"Is something going on between you and Glinda?" Elphaba asked quietly, unwilling to let it go.

Fiyero sighed. His shoulders slumped a little and he relented, looking at her. "It's not that something is wrong," he said. "Not really. It's just that... are you sure you want to know?" he asked. "I know you're Glinda's friend..."

"I'm your friend, too," she said. "Or, well, I hope I am. I promise I won't tell her anything."

"Thank you." He took a breath. "It's just that... this entire engagement was not my idea. She took me completely by surprise. She thought I'd love it, and I know I was supposed to love it, but... well, I didn't. I felt cornered. Trapped. I panicked a little." He shook his head. "I don't know if I really love her," he confessed to her, closing his eyes for a moment. "I mean, I love her, I do... but I don't know if I love her the way she wants me to. She's a wonderful person and we've been through so much together, but perhaps we're just not right for one another. Only I can't make her see that. She has this image in her mind of the two of us as the perfect couple and I can't seem to make her see that maybe we're just not. I can't even make her think about the mere idea and that frustrates me."

"I can imagine."

He looked up at her again. "You can?" he asked, sounding surprised about that.

She nodded, absently stroking the fur on Hero's back. "Of course. I've known Glinda long enough to know very well that she sometimes only sees what she wants to see and nothing else."

"And you haven't even known her for that long."

She cursed herself for slipping up _again_ and forced herself to grin at him. "It doesn't take too long to figure Glinda out." Luckily, that was true.

He laughed. "Good point." His smile faded. "I don't want to hurt her," he said. "I care so much about her. I just don't know if it's enough."

"Think about it," she advised him, trying to be detached about this and act like a good friend would. Even if he ever did break up with Glinda, there was not a chance in the world that he would ever end up with Elphaba, so she didn't have to think about that. It would only hurt more in the long run if she allowed herself to hope now. She did, however, want to give him sound advice; if he really wasn't in love with Glinda, he shouldn't lead her on. She didn't want that for her friend. "Carefully. Give it a lot of thought and try to sort out your feelings. I understand that you don't want to hurt her and that's noble of you, but she'd want you to be honest with her. If you respect her, you should tell her the truth."

He nodded slowly. "I think I will," he said. "Thank you. You're a great listener."

She laughed lightly and said without thinking, "I've always been told that I talk too much." She held her breath when she realised what she'd just said. She felt like the biggest idiot in Oz, constantly saying things she wasn't supposed to, but it was just so _hard_ to suddenly have to pretend to be someone else.

Fiyero, however, just had that faraway look in his eyes for a moment that she'd seen on him before and he said softly, "That's not always a bad thing, you know." She gave him a questioning look, but he just waved her off and stared out of the window instead.


	11. 11

**Yes, Elphaba slips up a lot (although, really, cut her some slack - it's probably not easy to suddenly change your identity), and yes, Fiyero is a little dense... although that sort of has a reason which will not be mentioned for a while yet.**

 **Most of you are thinking Fiyero will find out first now. You'll find out in chapter 15!**

 **Epicmaddie: Sorry, no Fiyeraba action for a while yet - although there will be at some point, of course!**

* * *

 **11.**

From the moment they crossed the border into the Vinkus, Fiyero seemed to shake off his gloomy mood and she could not help but smile when she saw the childlike enthusiasm sparking in his eyes. He was still looking out the window and he beckoned her over now, starting to point things out to her. "If you look very closely, you can see the Thousand Year Grasslands in the distance over there," he told her. "And do you see that large, stone tower emerging from the trees in those woods?"

She nodded and he grinned. "That's one of Kiamo Ko's towers. Kiamo Ko is a castle that belongs to my family," he explained upon seeing the inquiring look she gave him. "It's huge, all dark stone with trapdoors, hidden passageways, that sort of thing. Some people say it's haunted. We've never lived there, but there are still sentries guarding it."

"Where do you live, then?" she asked, intrigued, and he gave her another faint grin.

"The other castle."

"Of course," she muttered, feeling foolish. He was a prince. Of course his family would own more than one castle.

He chuckled at her face and she scowled at him.

"I love it here," he said, quieting. "It's my home. It feels like back when I still lived here, everything was just so much simpler. There were expectations, of course, but at least I knew for certain what they were." He sighed. "The Emerald City is one big net of deceit, corruption, and political games. You can never be sure what is real and what is not, what certain people want from you, or who is on which side. People are bribed left and right and nothing is ever what it seems. I hate that."

She was watching him closely and he chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry. Don't listen to my rambling."

"No," she said quietly. "I think you have a point. I haven't been in the City for that long yet, but I got the same impression."

He smiled sympathetically at her. "Do you miss your home?" he asked. "And your family?"

She nodded. When she thought of "home", she thought of Shiz and the dorm room she'd shared with Galinda – the right side clean and well-organised, the left side messy and engulfed in (mostly pink) clothes. When she thought of "family", she thought of her mother and of Nessarose, but also of Galinda and Fiyero. Yes, she missed it. She missed it a lot.

"It must be hard for you to be so far away from them," Fiyero continued, "especially now that you found out the Wizard is actually your father... it must be very strange."

"It is," she agreed. That much, at least, was true. "I'm not entirely sure yet whether it's good strange or bad strange, though."

He smiled wryly. "I can imagine." He hesitated, then said, "Cass... don't take this the wrong way, but... well, the Wizard is not entirely what he seems to be."

"He doesn't have any powers," she said, "and he has been making some dubious policies in the past. I know. I found out fairly early that he summoned me to the palace mostly to assist him and Madame Morrible with my magic because they can't do too much by themselves."

Fiyero gaped at her and she shrugged. "I'm his daughter," she said, the mere statement leaving a slightly sour taste in her mouth. "I was bound to find out sooner or later. I've been spending quite some time with him and I soon realised that even though I came to Oz to learn more about my powers, the Wizard wasn't going to be the one to teach me."

"Of course." He shook his head. "You came here to learn about magic, and the Wizard doesn't have any magic..." He looked at her, frowning slightly. "Wait a moment. Did your arrival have something to do with the Wizard suddenly changing his policies regarding the Animals?"

She could lie, but an adapted version of the truth would probably be more plausible. "Yes," she said. "I found out what he was doing and I tried to persuade him to change his mind, which he eventually did. I think Madame Morrible is the brain behind it all, though."

"She is," Fiyero agreed miserably. "The brain behind everything. The Animals, the Wizard's other bad policies, and... and the Witch of the West."

Her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated again, then shook his head. "Nothing. Forget I said that."

"Fiyero?" she persisted, but just then, the carriage stopped and the driver opened the door, telling them they'd arrived at the Animal centre. Fiyero avoided her gaze as he climbed out of the carriage and helped the driver take down their luggage. Elphaba decided to let the subject rest for now and get back to it some other time. She wondered what he'd meant, though. Morrible was the brain behind the Witch of the West? Could that mean he knew the truth about her – that it was Morrible who had proclaimed her wicked, but that she really wasn't wicked at all? Had he never truly hated her? Or was there some other explanation? There had to be. He was Captain of the Guard for a reason, after all.

She could not help but smile widely when she entered the rehabilitation centre, Hero on her heels, and saw how spacious and luxurious everything was, how modern and expensive the equipment, and how dedicated the Animal nurses working there. She made a mental note to thank Oscar later. Despite everything, he really had tried his best to fix his mistakes from the past.

A kind nurse – a Beaver named Eilen – showed them around the centre, explaining its structure to them. The families were kept together in family apartments in the east wing of the ground and first floors; the more severe cases, who had taken the worst of the Wizard's policies – often having been tortured and having lost their voices – stayed in the west wing of the ground floor, with a special team of Animal nurses trying to slowly nurse them back to health. On the west side of the first floor were mostly Animals that were all alone, having been separated from their families or, more often than not, having watched them being captured or killed. The nurses' quarters were on the second floor. Not all nurses lived in the centre, but a small group of them had nowhere else to go, no family to care for, and they dedicated almost their entire lives to this centre.

"We're making a list of the family members of all Animals here that are still missing," Eilen explained, "and we keep in touch with other rehabilitation centres. It's happened a few times already that a different centre sent us word of an Animal looking for his mate, who then turned out to be here; or that we asked them to look out for a young mother's children, who turned out to be staying at a centre in a different place. The Animals are then taken to be reunited with their family members. We believe that family and love is good for them and will speed up their healing process."

"There are so many of you here," said Elphaba softly and Eilen nodded.

"We have been able to save a lot of them, Your Highness," she said, glancing at Fiyero nervously once before adding, "Many of them thanks to the... Miss Fae," she corrected herself, "who kept them out of cages by helping to organise them into groups and teaching them how to deal with patrolling Gale Force soldiers. She protected quite a lot of them – us – in one way or another."

Fiyero's head had shot up at the name "Fae", his eyes wide and his face suddenly pale. Elphaba gave him a searching look, but he didn't look at her; he was solely focused on Eilen. "Miss Fae?" he repeated.

The Beaver nodded, clearly reluctant to share anything else. "She was a human who helped us."

"What did she look like?"

Eilen shifted. "Just... black hair, brown eyes... she was a rather young girl still, really."

"Green skin?"

"Are you...?" Eilen let out a laugh that was a little too forced. "Are you suggesting the Witch of the West helped us, Captain?"

"Tell me," he said quietly. "Please. Was it her? I swear on my life that your answer will not have any consequences for anyone. I just... need to know." He swallowed. "Did Elphaba help you?"

It was a shock, hearing her name from his lips – her actual name, not her infamous title. She didn't dare let it show, though. She kept her face neutral as Eilen took Fiyero in and the nodded slowly.

"Yes," she said. "She did."

Fiyero slowly exhaled and Eilen eyed him worriedly. "Do you need to sit down, Captain?"

He shook his head. "No... no. I think I'll just go and get some fresh air," he croaked before hurrying down the hallway. Eilen gave Elphaba a questioning look, but she just shrugged and followed him.

She found him sitting outside in the grass, staring ahead of him, and she slowly sank down beside him and laid a hand on his arm. He didn't look at her, but he did speak.

"I always called her Fae."

She was glad he was still staring off into the distance, because one look at her face would have betrayed her shock and hope and it would only lead to questions she wouldn't be able to answer. She didn't say anything and he continued.

"I wonder why she chose that name to go by," he said, his voice strangely flat. "I suppose... no. It's just that..." He trailed off again.

Elphaba was too dumbfounded to even remember to play her part and ask him questions, like any normal person would do, but he didn't seem to notice. She took his hand and he held hers, squeezing softly as if he was grateful for her presence – but that was probably just wishful thinking on her part.

He did turn his head now and she quickly wiped her expression free of all emotions, as she had grown so accustomed to doing. He chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.

"I suppose you have a lot of questions now," he said. "I can't answer them, though. Not all of them, anyway. Just... please don't tell anyone about this."

"I don't understand," she mumbled truthfully and he sighed.

"I know. Neither do I, really. Could you... keep a secret? It's very important, Cassadi. Please... promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise," she said quietly and he nodded.

"Fae is... was," he corrected himself, his voice catching, "Glinda's best friend back when we studied at Shiz University. She was my friend, too, and..."

"...she became the Wicked Witch of the West?" Elphaba filled in, figuring that piece of information could be easily deduced from all he had said before, and he nodded again.

"She wasn't wicked, though," he whispered. "She was the least wicked person I know. She was only trying to help... and now she's gone."

Elphaba was baffled. So he really did know about her true nature... he had known all along that she wasn't really wicked. She'd expected to feel relieved, but all she felt was a dull ache in her chest. Would she never stop hurting people? She should have convinced Oscar to let her tell Glinda and Fiyero the truth.

She knew she couldn't, though. It was still too risky, despite everything he had just told her.

Fiyero shook his head. "She's the friend Glinda and I lost," he said. "The one we told you about – that was Fae."

"The Witch of the West." Elphaba felt a little dizzy. Nothing was as it had seemed, apparently.

"Yes." Fiyero heaved another deep sigh and Elphaba squeezed his hand, rubbing his back with her other hand in an attempt to comfort him. He gave her a faint smile, which she returned. Her head was reeling and yet she somehow felt relieved at the same time.

* * *

 **Poor, heart-broken Fiyero and poor, confused Elphie. Reviews might cheer them up a little! :P**


	12. 12

**I know I say this every time, but thank you for your reviews! Even after having posted so many stories (this one is number 70), your reviews still make my day - especially since you are all such lovely readers :).**

 **Epicmaddie: I personally (and my friends) pronounce it as "Fay", too.**

 **RedApple435: You're not wrong... although I swear it was actually sort of accidental :P.**

 **BeyondSunsets: Thank you so much, I'm honoured! :) I hope you'll like it here on Fanfiction - there are many great stories and very sweet people here.**

* * *

 **12.**

She lay awake for a long time that night, pondering everything he had told her and wondering what it all meant. How did he feel about her? He seemed to be sad that she was gone – which, she supposed, he was, if he had known the truth about her all along. There seemed to be more to it, though; she just couldn't lay her finger on what that was, exactly.

She had spent a lot of time trying to help the Animals here and seeing for herself that they were looked after properly. Eilen had explained to her how things worked and Elphaba had talked to many of the Animals, listening to their stories and helping the nurses out in caring for their patients.

Unfortunately, a journalist or two had found out about her being here. All day long, she had been followed like a hawk by a couple of people with pencils and notebooks and she hated it. She was starting to wonder why she had ever agreed to this entire plan. Then again, she hadn't known about any of this in the beginning – if she'd known she was Oscar's daughter, the rightful crown princess of Oz, she might have changed her mind. Or perhaps not. All she'd ever wanted was to be loved, after all. She just didn't really want to be loved by so many people anymore. It was an empty kind of love. She just wanted a handful of people to love her for who she was, not for whose daughter she was or for what she could do. She longed for her days at Shiz, back when everything had been simple and just... perfect.

She'd tried to ignore the journalists and focus on the Animal patients instead. She had cast a few small spells to show off her magic, too – Morrible's suggestion, she'd realised, was not a bad one; and with the journalists present, she was sure there would be a story in the newspaper the next day about "Princess Cassadi magically helping Animals to sleep in rehabilitation centre".

As for the Animals themselves, she was still amazed that a few of their stories were about _her_ – or, well, about "Miss Fae", but still. Back when she had been the Wicked Witch, most of the Animals hadn't wanted to refer to her as such, since it was a title the Wizard and Madame Morrible had come up with; and so she had created a name they could use for her that would not attract any unwanted attention: Fae. The nickname Fiyero had always called her back at Shiz. In hindsight, it had been a pathetic decision, really; but then again, there was not much that _wasn't_ pathetic when it came to her feelings for – and behaviour towards – the Vinkun prince.

She was glad to have been able to help so many Animals. She'd apparently underestimated the influence she'd had on them. She'd tried her hardest, but she had always felt like it hadn't been enough. There was the occasional Animal she could save from a trap, for which she always felt grateful, but she had always thought that her other efforts – trying to unite them and set them up against the Wizard, mostly – had been in vain. Most of them had been too scared to openly rebel. They had probably been right, too, but Elphaba hadn't known what else to do back then. At least some of her efforts had paid off. Not everything she'd done in her life had ended in disaster.

She turned around to lie on her other side. Hero was padding around the room and started scratching at the door, keeping her awake; and so she gave up on trying to sleep and got out of bed, throwing on a robe and opening the door to let the puppy through. He dashed off and she followed, going outside and sitting down in the grass where she had found Fiyero that afternoon.

She lay down on her back and looked up at the stars. There were far more visible here than there were in the Emerald City. She'd missed them, she supposed. She'd spent so long wandering around forests and meadows, avoiding cities, and often sleeping outside, that she'd gotten used to seeing the stars and hearing the noises of nightlife in nature as she tried to sleep. She'd had difficulty falling asleep in the Emerald Palace at first; the silence, the soft mattress and pillows, and just the general feeling of being indoors had felt strange and unfamiliar after two years.

Hero dashed off and then came running back, playing around in the grass for a while before settling down beside Elphaba, yawning, and promptly falling asleep. She chuckled softly as she stroked his fur from his head to his tail, feeling once again thankful for having him. She wondered if she'd ever thanked Oscar for giving Hero to her. She should, once she got back.

"Cass?"

She raised her head, only to find Fiyero heading their way. "Hey."

He sat down beside her and scratched Hero between his ears before lying down as well. "Couldn't you sleep?"

She shook her head. "You?"

"The same." He sighed. "I guess I've got a lot to think about. Glinda, my life in general... Fae." He bit his lip. "I'm a little at a loss about what to do now. I had this plan before, you know? This idea of what I wanted to do with my life. Everything I've done for the past two years has been for that, and now I... I can't do it anymore."

"Why not?" she asked, curious as to what he was talking about. What had been his plan? Gaining money and popularity and marrying Glinda? And now it was falling apart because that life wasn't all he had dreamed it to be and he wasn't even sure he loved Glinda anymore? She could relate to that. Most of _her_ life, she had been dreaming of a meeting with the Wizard and Oz knew how that had turned out.

He hesitated, then shook his head. "Never mind. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay." She hated people pushing her to talk when she didn't want to; it'd be hypocritical for her to keep bothering Fiyero about it now. She stretched and yawned, even though she still didn't feel very tired, and then she asked quietly, "Do you miss her?"

She didn't specify whom she was talking about, but she knew she didn't have to. He gave her a long look before laying his head down on the grass again, staring up at the stars. He seemed to be lost in thought for a brief moment before he spoke.

"More than you'll ever know."

She could feel her heart pounding and she had to resist the urge to ask, "Really?". She supposed there was much more to his feelings regarding her than she had originally thought. She didn't know in what respect, though, or to what extent, and she didn't want to push him too hard.

Besides, what did it matter? She was not that girl anymore. She would never again be Elphaba Thropp and she would do well to leave the past alone. It would only end up hurting her. She had to look forward.

"Thank you for telling me," she said instead. "I promise I'll keep it all to myself."

He turned his head and studied her face for a while. "You're easy to talk to," he said. "Like I said before – you're a good listener."

"Thank you," she said, not really knowing what else to say.

He chuckled slightly and she returned her attention to the stars above, trying to count them, but quickly giving up on that. It did make her feel more sleepy, though. She absently stroked Hero, not even noticing that she was shivering until Fiyero asked, "Are you cold?"

She hugged herself. "A little."

"I have a blanket," he offered, holding up the end of the blanket that wasn't draped over him. She hesitated briefly before scooting closer. He put his arm around her and tugged her into his side, the blanket draped over the both of them. She did feel warmer instantly, but she wasn't sure whether or not that was caused by the blanket.

"Thanks," she whispered. He didn't say anything; he just drew her even closer and she snuggled up against him, seeking his body heat, and rested her head on his shoulder. They both watched the stars for a while before she found herself drifting off and she closed her eyes. She'd just rest for a few minutes and then she would go back inside.

* * *

She awoke at the feeling of being lifted into the air and she sleepily opened her eyes a little, only to find that Fiyero had wrapped her up in the blanket and was now carrying her. "Yero?" she murmured, still half-asleep; and she felt him tense for a moment, a strange expression fleeting across his face before he composed himself.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you inside," he said. "We fell asleep in the grass. I'd have been perfectly happy to stay there with you, but with those journalists lurking nearby, I'd rather not take the risk of them finding us in the morning. They'd be bound to interpret it in a different way and we don't want wild stories published in the newspaper tomorrow."

"Mm," she said drowsily. "Good thinking."

He chuckled.

"So is this going to become a thing now? You carrying me?"

She could see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "If you want it to be."

She did. Oz, she wanted it to be. But even in her half-awake state, she realised that that would not be a smart thing to say and so she kept her mouth shut. If only for Glinda.

She felt his eyes on her and she raised her sleepy gaze to meet his. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

She was too tired to prod for more information and so she closed her eyes again. She was vaguely aware of him carrying her inside and laying her down on the bed, covering her with a blanket. When he didn't leave, she opened her eyes again, blinking slowly at him. "Yero?"

"Hmm?" He seemed to shake himself from his stupor and he gave her a bleak smile. "Sorry." He hesitated. "It's just... sometimes you remind me _so much_ of her."

She was instantly more awake, feeling alarmed. Was he on to her?

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm sure you don't want to hear that all the time. You didn't even know her, after all..."

Elphaba exhaled slowly through her nose. He didn't know, then. "No. I mean, it's okay. I don't mind."

He smiled again – more genuinely this time – and he nodded. "All right, then. I'll leave you to get some sleep." And then, in a sudden, bold gesture, he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Goodnight," he whispered, straightening and leaving the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Elphaba, however, could not even think of sleep right now. Despite her earlier tiredness, she found herself wide awake.


	13. 13

**Ugh, sorry, I forgot to update again yesterday... (BeyondSunsets, I try to update every other day, but as you can see I sometimes forget or just don't have the time.)**

 **Queen Faeley, welcome back! :D It's good to see you reviewing again, and I'm glad that you're still reading!**

* * *

 **13.**

The next day, Elphaba felt wrecked. She'd lain awake for several more hours the previous night before finally sinking into a restless sleep – one that had involved dreams about Fiyero's sapphire blue eyes and the way his lips had felt, after which the dreams turned into nightmares when he exposed her as the Wicked Witch to all of Oz and laughed as he watched her being burnt at the stake.

What had that kiss meant? Why had he even kissed her? Had it meant anything at all or had it just been a friendly kiss? A spur-of-the-moment thing? She couldn't fathom it meaning anything beyond that. He may be confused about his feelings regarding Glinda, but that did not mean he had suddenly fallen in love with her.

Glinda. Should she tell her? Would he? Would she be mad at him, or at her, or both? She couldn't lose her best friend again – especially not over a kiss that probably didn't even mean anything!

She sighed, listlessly stirring her porridge as she stared out of the window with dull, tired eyes. She just wanted to get some more sleep and forget about all of this. It was going to tear her apart someday. She shouldn't be wishing for things that could never happen.

And yet, she could not help but wonder. What if he was in love with her – with the girl he thought to be Cassadi? Or what if he had been in love with Elphaba and had only kissed her because Cassadi resembled Elphaba so much? If he really was in love with either of them, did it even matter which one? They were one and the same, after all, even if he did not know that. She sighed again. This was all just so confusing.

"You look like you could use some coffee," his voice suddenly said beside her and she jumped, nearly knocking over her porridge bowl as she did so.

He chuckled as he sat down beside her and placed a mug filled with coffee on the table in front of her. "Careful."

She gratefully inhaled the smell. She was feeling better already. "Thanks," she said, sipping the hot liquid. "You're a life-saver."

He smiled. "I try."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Elphaba was wondering if she should say something about last night, but decided against it. She didn't want to make it into something bigger than it really was. Perhaps it had meant nothing to him at all. She studied him from the corners of her eyes. He didn't seem to be any different; he wasn't behaving strangely or stealing glances at her more than usual. He'd probably forgotten all about it already.

So instead of saying anything, she simply finished her breakfast and dressed before walking with Fiyero to the nurses' common room of the Animal centre, where they found Eilen. She greeted them cheerfully and asked Elphaba if she was willing to help her out by reading to the little ones.

"Two nurses called in sick today," she explained, "and we already gave three the day off for one reason or another, so we're a little bit short on staff."

"That's all right," Elphaba assured her. "I don't mind helping out."

"Me, neither, if you'll have me," Fiyero offered and Eilen beamed at them both. She set Fiyero to work with another nurse and Elphaba spent the next few hours reading a book for the younger Animals, which they seemed to love.

She looked up after a while to find Fiyero leaning against the doorway, a soft smile on his face, and she chuckled a bit nervously. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, still smiling. "It's just... nice to see you with those little ones."

She could feel herself blushing a little and she quickly bent over the book again.

They left the centre late that afternoon and Elphaba plopped down in her seat in the carriage, heaving a sigh as she leaned back. "I don't really want to go back."

"Me, neither," said Fiyero, looking out of the window. "I loved being back in the Vinkus and helping out with all those Animals... it's been a long time since I felt that useful," he confessed.

"I know what you mean." She leaned her head against the carriage window. "I wish I could see more of the Vinkus. I mean, I've been here before –"

"You have?" he asked, surprised.

She sucked in her breath. Would she ever stop slipping up? Oz, she was so stupid! "Once," she lied. "With my father. Or, well, the man I thought to be my father." In reality, she had of course spent a lot of time in the Vinkus – there was a reason they'd called her the Wicked Witch of the West. She hadn't really had the chance to play the tourist, obviously; mostly, she'd seen the grasslands and the forests. "I'd really like to see more of it, though."

Fiyero's eyes lit up. "Maybe I could show you my home once," he said enthusiastically. "I could introduce you to my family and show you the place where I grew up. Would you like that?"

She couldn't help but smile at his excitement. "I'd love that," she said honestly.

* * *

The moment they arrived at the Emerald Palace that night, they were approached by a frantic-looking official.

"Your Highness!" he cried, bowing quickly before Elphaba. "Oh, thank Oz you are back!"

Alarmed, Elphaba exchanged a look with Fiyero. "What's going on?" she asked anxiously. "Is everything okay?" Morrible's threats shot through her head and she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. If the hag had done something to Glinda, or to Nessarose...

"It's the Wizard, Your Highness," the official wailed, wringing his hands. "He's disappeared!"

Elphaba could only stare at him.

"No-one knows where he is," the official continued. "There's no message from either him or a potential kidnapper – nothing. No body, either. He's just... gone!"

"What exactly happened?" Fiyero demanded and the man shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I've heard that the guards went inside of the throne room to announce a visitor to His Ozness – an ambassador from Fliaan, I think – and he wasn't there. They've searched everywhere for him, and when it became clear that he wasn't anywhere to be found, Madame Morrible took over. She has organised a press conference for this evening. It starts at eight, I believe, on the throne room balcony. She wanted to wait until you were back so that you could support her during this."

Elphaba thanked him, her mind reeling, and he hurried off. Fiyero led her through the hallways and to her rooms, closing the door behind him. Her maids weren't there, for which she was grateful. She didn't want to face anyone else right now.

The young witch stared out of the window without seeing anything, worrying about her father despite herself and her feelings towards him. Just because she still hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done, didn't mean she wanted to see him hurt – or worse. Was he still alive? And who was behind all this?

The answer seemed clear – Morrible. There was really not a doubt in her mind about that. The problem was proving that, though. And to what purpose had the woman done this? What good would it do her to get Oscar out of the picture? She suddenly realised that with the Wizard gone, she was next in line for the throne. Oz was her responsibility now. Morrible's words came back to her and she shuddered – was that what the old hag wanted? For Elphaba to be in charge so that she could manipulate her into performing magic and doing whatever Morrible wanted? With Glinda and Fiyero, she had the perfect leverage to get Elphaba to obey Morrible and they both knew it.

Hero, who had been padding around her feet, now nuzzled her leg. She bent down to stroke his fur, suddenly noticing how big he was getting. How old was he now? Had she really been Cassadi for that long already? She counted back and realised in surprise that it had been nearly three months since the Wizard had first offered her his deal. It seemed so much longer and so much shorter at the same time.

She went back to biting her lip and worrying about Oscar. What if he was...? She shook her head. She shouldn't think that way.

But she did, and then she felt ashamed of herself for the first thing popping into her head at the thought of Oscar being dead: that she would be the queen of Oz then and that she was in no way cut out for that.

She mentally scolded herself for thinking that way. Oscar being dead would mean so much more than just her being Oz's new ruler. It would mean her having lost another father. It would bring chaos to all of the country. She was a little surprised to realise that she did actually care whether he lived or died. It wasn't like she would collapse with grief over his death, but she did feel a stab of sadness and regret at the thought. If he was dead, he would have died without her having given him her forgiveness for what he did. She knew he really was sorry and she promised herself that if he turned out to be alive, she would forgive him. It was about time she did.

She jumped when Fiyero touched her shoulder and he smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Are you all right?"

She shrugged and he put his arms around her, hugging her lightly. "It will be okay," he said. "We'll figure it out somehow."

"It was Morrible," she muttered and he nodded, letting go of her and stepping back, his face grave.

"I know. Or, well, I'm almost certain."

"This just smells like her." Elphaba started pacing. "What do we do?"

"For now? Nothing," said Fiyero. "We'll need to find out more first. I'm hoping Morrible will do or say something to give herself away." He looked at her. "I suggest we both change into something clean," he said, "and then meet up again in the throne room. I think we'll want to be there for Morrible's press conference and it starts in less than half an hour. Perhaps we can get more information there."

Elphaba nodded and picked up Hero, suddenly wanting his comforting weight in her arms. He licked her cheek and Fiyero patted his head before meeting Elphaba's gaze again. "It will be okay," he said again.

She nodded and watched the prince walk away, still cradling Hero in her arms. She had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

 **Well, I'm guessing that since Morrible is the main suspect, everyone has a bad feeling about this. I mean, it's Morrible.**


	14. 14

**AN: This chapter should clear some things up... it's a rather interesting one. And of course the next chapter, _someone_ will find out!**

 **HC247, no worries, I'm glad you're still reading! :) And thank you so much for your super sweet review!**

* * *

 **14.**

Elphaba quickly changed into a simple, but elegant gown, ran a brush through her hair, and washed her face before hurrying over to the throne room, leaving Hero behind with her maids for now. Fiyero was already waiting when she arrived and he approached her, his face worried.

"I talked to some of my colleagues," he said in a hushed voice. "They have no idea who could have done it. No-one had access to the throne room and they'd just seen the Wizard – or, well, what they believe to be his "human form" – a few minutes before, when they escorted a maid inside with something for him to eat. They thought at first that maybe His Ozness had just changed shape," Elphaba snorted at that idea, "but after a while, they realised that there was really no-one there anymore. They searched the entire palace, but the Wizard was nowhere to be found."

Elphaba bit her lip. "Do you think it was someone with magic?"

"Possibly," Fiyero admitted. He glanced to his side and Elphaba did not have to follow his gaze to know whom he was thinking of.

"Morrible."

"I can't think of anyone else," he said and she nodded.

"Me, neither. Like I said, she seems the most likely choice. Not just because she has the means, but also because she has a motive – she didn't agree with Oscar's changes of policies."

"Cassadi, dear!" Morrible exclaimed, interrupting their conversation, and she planted a kiss on Elphaba's cheek. "It's so good to see that you're back! Glinda is still on her way back from Munchkinland, but I'm glad to have your support in this."

"In what?" Elphaba asked suspiciously, but Morrible waved her away.

"Finding the Wizard, of course! We need to spread word about his disappearance and urge the people to help us find him!"

Fiyero was called over by a colleague and moved away; and the moment he did, Morrible brought her face closer to Elphaba's, her hand tightening painfully around the girl's arm.

"Listen to me very carefully, Miss Elphaba," she mumbled in her ear. "I am going to make an announcement out on that balcony and if you even breathe a word against me, I will expose you to all of Oz for who you really are."

Elphaba felt cold chills running down her spine and Morrible continued casually, "I will also murder Oscar."

"So you did do this," Elphaba hissed and Morrible laughed softly.

"Of course I did." She squeezed Elphaba's arm tightly. "I have him, and I will not hesitate to hurt him. The governor already died of shame over you – you wouldn't want to kill your second father, too, would you? Think carefully, dearie. If you decide to oppose me, the Wizard will die and you will live out the rest of your limited days in Southstairs. It would be best for all of us if you'd just work with me here, understood?" She let go of Elphaba's arm and pretended to smooth out the young witch's dress, smiling at her sweetly. "All right, dearie?"

Elphaba's eyes flamed, but she recognised that she could not do anything now. She'd have to play along with whatever Morrible was planning until she could find a way to fix this. "Yes, Madame Morrible."

"Good." Morrible patted her cheek and then linked her arm with Elphaba's, guiding her outside onto the balcony.

* * *

Elphaba only barely made it out of Morrible's presence after the speech before she found herself cornered by Fiyero in the hallway.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "First you agree with me that Morrible is probably behind the Wizard's disappearance; and now you're supporting her every claim in front of an audience. Cassadi, you just agreed to make her regent of Oz until the Wizard is found! What in Oz are you thinking?!"

"Not here," she told him, grabbing his arm and dragging him with her to her rooms. She dismissed Vana and Cheri and closed the door behind them, turning around and pressing her back to the door as she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled again.

"I didn't do it out of my free will, if that's what you're thinking," she said, meeting Fiyero's gaze. "And if that actually is what you're thinking, then what I think is that you are rather brainless."

He flushed a little, which told her that had been exactly what he was thinking.

"She has him," Elphaba explained, heaving a sigh and leaning her head back against the door, closing her eyes for a moment. "She told me to go along with everything she says or she'll kill my father." She didn't mention Morrible's other threat, of course, but she didn't have to. This one was bad enough in itself.

Fiyero blanched slightly. "We have to do something."

Elphaba shook her head. "We have no proof," she said. "The people are buying her story about me being too inexperienced to rule Oz by myself, even temporarily, so they support Morrible as their regent for the time being. She has everyone in the palm of her hand. There's nothing we can do – not right now. We need to find out where she's keeping Oscar so that we can expose her, but that's not going to be easy."

"Don't you think there must be another way?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know. None that I can think of at the moment."

"Me, neither," Fiyero agreed miserably. "I think she finally has us cornered."

Elphaba moved over to an arm chair and flopped down into it, bending to pet Hero before raising her gaze to meet Fiyero's again. "So there is no way for us to outsmart her. Is that what you're saying?"

He sighed. "I don't know, Cass. I have no other ideas."

"We can't just give up. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life carrying out Horrible Morrible's orders."

Fiyero chuckled slightly, then sobered. "I get that we can't leave it at this, but I don't know what else to do; and you already said you didn't have any ideas, either."

"Not right now." Elphaba watched Hero as he padded around the room, sniffing at Fiyero's shoes. "But I'll think of something."

"I'll ask Glinda if she has any ideas, too, the moment she returns," said Fiyero.

She looked up at him. "What are you going to do with her?" she asked. She didn't want to keep thinking about Morrible. There was nothing she could do about that right now, anyway.

Fiyero raised his chin. "I'm going to break up with her," he said, sounding sad, but determined. "I don't want to lead her on any longer. I've been thinking about it a lot these past few days, ever since I talked it over with you, and I realised that what I feel for Glinda... it's not love. It probably never has been. I also realised," he continued, softer now, "that I actually do know what real love feels like. It just took me too long to see it."

She frowned, puzzled by that. "What do you mean?"

"It means," he said, sinking down in the chair opposite hers, "that I finally recognised the fact that I've been in love with someone – someone who is not Glinda – for a long time already. Or, well, I guess I did recognise it before," he conceded. "I just didn't want to. It was too difficult. Everything I've done in the past few years has been for her and yet I always refused to admit to myself that I loved her." He barked a laugh. "I guess I really am brainless." His eyes were sad. "And it's too late now, anyway."

Elphaba's heart was pounding in her throat at his confession. She felt like she knew whom he was talking about... but it couldn't be. A girl he had loved for a long time already, only it was too difficult for him to admit it even to himself, and now it was too late. Could he mean...? No, of course he couldn't. Never in a million years.

And yet she asked, "Who is she?"

He hesitated only a brief moment before admitting quietly, "The girl I told you about. Fae – Elphaba. The Wicked Witch of the West," he added bitterly. "So you can see my problem for the past two years."

She swore that her heart skipped a few beats. It still didn't feel like it was beating normally now. "But..." She tried to think of excuses. "You're the Captain of the Guard. You were trained to hunt her down," she said weakly.

He smiled sadly. "I already told you – she wasn't wicked. She was my friend, too, back at university. Even then, from the moment she disappeared, I knew I had to find her. That's why I joined the Gale Force. I don't even know what I would have done if I _had_ found her..." He trailed off. "I should have told her how I felt ages ago, but I was with Glinda and Fae was off to see the Wizard... it all went so fast. And then she was suddenly gone."

She was silent for a while, completely dumbstruck. Finally she asked, "You mentioned the other day that you had this plan for your life that you couldn't go through with anymore...?"

"Finding her." He nodded. "I made that into my life's mission, I guess. I was unhappy. I have been unhappy for a long time. She was the only one who saw that." He ran his fingers through his hair. "But I loved her and I had this feeling that, if I could only find her, things would be all right... so I focused on that." He looked at Elphaba. "I know that if I had found her," he stated with absolute certainty, "I would have gone with her. I would have left everything behind for her, just like that. Even when I didn't want to admit that I loved her, I knew _that_ , deep down." He looked... she decided that "lost" was the right word. "And now she's gone – really gone this time," he continued, "and I just... it feels like I can't breathe. I've been trying so hard to move on – to be happy with Glinda, to focus on my job, anything to take my mind off her. Meeting you has helped, somehow, because you're so much like her... it's like a small part of her is preserved, you know? And I thought I was doing well. I never told anyone about this and I figured if I'd just push it away deeply enough, if I'd just ignore my feelings, I'd be able to move on. And sometimes I'm all right. The majority of the time, though, I'm still thinking about her. I see her around every corner, I hear her voice... I even dream about her." He shook his head. "I don't even know if she felt the same way," he said. "I feel so pathetic, but I just... can't help it. Never could."

She only realised she was holding her breath when she started to feel a bit light-headed and she exhaled slowly, trying to keep her breathing steady despite her entire world being turned upside down by a few words from a handsome prince. It was all she had ever dreamed of and more. She'd always told herself not to wish for anything because it could never come true, but this...

And yet there was nothing she could do about it. She was no longer that girl. She had been, apparently, which was amazing enough in itself; but she wasn't anymore. She couldn't be. Elphaba Thropp was dead and she would have to stay that way.

Fiyero cast an apologetic look in her direction. "I'm sorry," he said, rising to his feet and looking sheepish. "I didn't mean to ramble on like that. You probably don't want to hear any of this, anyway."

She managed a reassuring smile, somehow. "We're friends," she choked out. "You can always talk to me. And... I'm sorry." For more things than he could possibly know.

"Thank you, Cassadi." He smiled and bent down to drop a kiss to the top of her head. "Like I said, you're very easy to talk to and it really helps me clear my head. So thank you."

"You're welcome." Her voice squeaked, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You know," he said, chuckling a little sheepishly, "for a long time, after meeting you... I thought it was you."

Elphaba was still so baffled that she only managed an unladylike, "Huh?".

"I thought..." He shook his head. "Oz, this is stupid, but I thought that... that maybe you were her."

For all the shocks she had had to process over the past few months, this one was the worst. She swore she could actually feel her heart stop beating for a few moments.

"You two are... were... so alike," he continued, "and sometimes you said certain things that sounded so much like her, or even things she actually said to me back at university. For a while, I thought that maybe you were her, that she had only faked her death and was now hiding right beneath our noses..." He trailed off with a smile that seemed to be filled with self-loathing. "Stupid, right? I guess it was mostly wishful thinking. I realised, of course, after a while, that you could never be her. If only because I know she would have told Glinda and me about her true identity – she would never have lied to us for so long... she wouldn't do that to either of us."

And there it was. She had never planned on telling him about her true identity, but after those words, she knew that she had to keep her secret from him, no matter the cost. He had been through enough. She couldn't hurt him like that. After everything he had confessed to her, it would be cruel to reveal that it had been her all this time. And yes, she'd admit it – she'd keep this secret to herself for selfish reasons, too. He'd hate her if she told him and she didn't think she could bear that.

"Anyway, we'll figure something out regarding Morrible," he promised, scratching Hero between the ears before moving to the door. "It'll all be fine. Again, I'm sorry for all the rambling," he said with an apologetic smile at her, "and again, thank you for listening. I'll see you later?"

She could only nod and stare at the door as it closed behind him.


	15. 15

**Because you all asked me so nicely for an early update... here you go. Thank you for all your amazing reviews and virtual cupcakes for HC247 for being the 200th reviewer of _Living Lies_!**

* * *

 **15.**

Elphaba had to give it to the old hag – she was cunning. A part of her had expected Morrible to instantly go all-out, using her newly-acquired power to hurt people and Animals alike, but that was not the case. Instead, she built it up slowly – appearing before the people, talking to them, placating them, so that they would be less reluctant to go along with any changes she might make later. She did the same with the advisers and officials and Elphaba would have been impressed if the older woman's sneaky manners weren't making her feel so sick. She could only guess what kind of things Morrible had planned for later and she still had no idea what she could do about the whole situation.

Glinda had returned from Munchkinland on the same day Elphaba and Fiyero had come back from the Vinkus, but Elphaba hadn't seen her friend yet. The blonde had instantly been swept off by Morrible to be informed of everything that was going on and to attend to some matters that Morrible apparently needed Glinda for. Elphaba hoped her friend would be smart enough to see through the whole ploy and that she hadn't done anything too serious to aid Morrible with her plans.

Not that she was one to talk. She'd made Morrible Oz's regent in the first place, after all. But had she really had a choice? If she did, she didn't see it.

Elphaba paced up and down her room for a bit before throwing open the balcony doors and stepping outside, inhaling the cool night air. She was aching to talk to either of her friends, even though she was not quite sure what to say. It had been two days since their return by now and she still hadn't seen Glinda – she suspected Morrible was keeping them apart for the moment to try and create some distance between the two girls. She also hadn't seen Fiyero, which she knew had nothing to do with Morrible or her plans. She hadn't gone to him because his admission had rocked her to the core – even more so than she was willing to admit – and she was plagued by memories now that she had never given too much thought before. The electricity running through her when their hands touched, that day they rescued the Lion cub. The way she had sometimes caught him looking at her after that. The way he'd smiled at her whenever he'd come to pick Galinda up for a date, their friendly banter and teasing back and forth, the quiet afternoons spent studying – or in his case, pestering her – in the sun...

Elphaba had decided a long time ago that the question "what if" was a useless one. She'd always told herself to not wish for things she'd never get and not to dream of what might have been. Despite that, however, those thoughts were the ones running through her mind for the past few days. She wondered what would have happened if Fiyero had indeed told her how he felt sooner. What if he'd broken up with Galinda and they'd gotten together? What if she'd taken him to the Emerald City that fateful day instead of her best friend? Would it have made a difference? If she'd known he'd be back at Shiz waiting for her, would she have made a different decision up there in that attic? Would she still have been able to leave everything behind?

Deep down, though, she knew the answer to that. It didn't matter. None of it did. She could never have stayed and worked with the man who was behind all the things she was fighting – whose actions opposed everything she stood for. She hadn't stayed for Glinda back then and she hadn't stayed for Nessarose. She would not have stayed for Fiyero, either – no matter how deeply she had loved him even then.

She stared up at the moon, lost in thought, and she started when she felt something against her leg. Hero was sitting beside her, tail wagging and his head slightly tilted to the side, and she chuckled and crouched to pet him.

"At least I can always talk to you," she told him as he squirmed happily under her touch. "You have no idea how badly I wish I had a friend right now whom I could tell everything... but I guess I'll have to be content with having friends at all." She bit her lip. "I'm not Elphaba anymore. I should let go of her."

Hero gazed up at her and she sighed. "But it's so hard. No matter how hard I try, I'm not Cassadi." That was perhaps what bothered her more than anything. She almost wished that she could simply erase her entire history as Elphaba and replace it with Cassadi's fake memories. It would be so much easier. How could anyone expect her to sit back and watch as her best friend grieved her death? To not feel anything when the man she had secretly been in love with for years told her that he had loved her, too, all this time; and to not be able to do anything about because he, too, believed her to be dead and it had to stay that way? It was ironic, she thought, that here and now, being the crown princess of Oz and surrounded by all kinds of people, she felt lonelier than she ever had during her time as the Wicked Witch of the West.

There was a knock on the door and Hero barked loudly, running over to it. Smiling to herself, Elphaba shook her head at the puppy's antics and went inside to open the door. A servant was outside and he curtseyed.

"Your Highness," he said, "Madame Morrible has asked me to bring you this." He handed her a note. She thanked him and closed the door, suddenly feeling weary. The note felt heavy in her hands. It had started, then. No matter what Morrible would ask of her today, it would only get worse in the future.

She opened the note and read it. Morrible wanted her to come see her the next afternoon; she had some "magical issues" that she needed to discuss. Elphaba wondered what the old hag would have her do. She swore to herself that no matter what, she would not use magic to hurt anyone. She could see Morrible trying to use her to get rid of the Animals or to terrorise the people of Oz, but she wouldn't do that. Not even if that refusal would get her exposed and thrown in Southstairs. Not even if that refusal would cost her her father.

* * *

She finally did see Glinda the morning after that, when the blonde burst into her rooms and shooed away her maids. She looked at Elphaba critically for a moment before nodding, apparently deciding something. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," said Elphaba, confused by Glinda's demeanour. "Is everything okay?"

"There's just... something I need to get off my chest," Glinda said, looking troubled, and Elphaba gave her a reassuring smile and a nod.

"Spit it out, Glin."

"At first, I didn't think anything of it." Glinda shook her head, pacing up and down the room with her hands clasped behind her back. "I mean, it was a great coincidence, of course, that one of the only two girls who had ever come to work for the Wizard would turn out to be his daughter; but it was not impossible and your story sounded plausible. I never really thought of it again, except to wonder how you were dealing with it all and if you were okay while I was gone." She looked up, her blue eyes meeting Elphaba's. "But then I got back," she said, "and I started spending time with Morrible – which was horrid, by the way – to talk about everything that was going on and to find some solutions. We met and talked in the Wizard's throne room a lot."

Elphaba was still confused as to where her blonde friend was going with this, but she had a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling that she should flee right now before it was too late.

"At some point," Glinda continued, "Morrible left to do something, I don't remember what, but I started roaming the throne room for a bit and that's when I found it. Behind the Wizard's golden head was a green bottle. A green, glass bottle that I had seen before."

Elphaba opened her mouth, but then she closed it again. There was not much she could say and she knew Glinda wouldn't be silenced until she'd had her own say, anyway.

"So I asked Morrible how common those bottles are, pretending to really like it as an ornament and to want one for myself," Glinda went on, still pacing. Hero was walking along with her, looking up at her in confusion now and then as if silently asking her why she was walking back and forth without going anywhere. Just this once, however, the blonde completely ignored him. "She said that Oscar had told her there are only three. One was lost upon the Wizard's arrival, one is his, and the third he had left in the possession of a woman he once loved. So then, of course, I started thinking, because how would it be possible that my best friend, Elphaba, would have had such a bottle in her possession – given to her by her mother – when the Wizard claimed there were only three of them?"

She paused her pacing for a moment, but she didn't look at her friend. Elphaba swallowed. She'd had a sinking feeling all along that she knew where this was going. She'd hoped she had been wrong, but now it became clear that she hadn't been. She was scared of what would happen once someone beside herself, Morrible, and the Wizard knew her secret, and she felt guilty and ashamed for having kept it so long; but there was also relief. She wouldn't have to pretend anymore. At least not with Glinda. She just hoped her best friend would manage to forgive her.

"I'll admit that it took me a while to put the pieces together," Glinda conceded, still seemingly thinking out loud. "But then it suddenly hit me. The green, glass bottles. All those times I've found you in the library. The fact that you basically came out of nowhere. Your love for and devotion to the Animals. All the little things – your work with the Wizard to change some of his policies, Madame Morrible's seeming distrust of you, some of the things you said to me, the way you talk and the way you hold yourself, even the fact that you wear glasses for reading... it all suddenly seemed to fall into place. I've told you so many times how much you are like her – how much you remind me of her. Fiyero saw it, too. You showed up not _that_ long after her supposed death."

Elphaba was still following the blonde with her eyes and Glinda turned to face the window, taking a deep breath. Then she turned back and pinned the other girl with a stare.

"I guess what I'm trying to say," she said, taking another breath, "is that I know your secret... Elphaba."

* * *

 **I would apologise for the cliffhanger, but we all know I have a title to uphold. *innocent look***


	16. 16

**Fine, then, here you go - a little earlier than usual, because I'm really bad at withstanding flattery and sob stories (yes, Silvine, I'm looking at you). And oh my gosh, thank you so much for those reviews! You had me squealing in a very Galinda-like fashion - I've never gotten 24 (!) reviews on one chapter before, so virtual dessert of your choice for all of you!**

 **Queen Faeley: Um... if you mean _actual_ Fiyeraba fluff, then I'm sorry to say you'll have to wait another while. I promise there will be some, though - you know me by now!**

* * *

 **16.**

The room was completely silent for a few moments, aside from Hero's soft whines. Elphaba met her friend's gaze calmly, but she didn't confirm or deny the blonde's claim.

"Aren't you going to say I'm wrong?" Glinda demanded. "Aren't you going to make excuses and defend yourself?"

"Would you believe me if I did?"

Glinda hesitated. "I don't... I don't know. I don't think so. It sort of depends on the excuses you'd have in mind – wait," she cut herself off, her eyes suddenly widening. "Are you saying..." She stepped back, one hand slowly moving up to her mouth. "Cassie? I mean... no. You can't. You really are...?"

"I'm sorry," said Elphaba quietly. "Glin... I'm so, so sorry for lying to you and deceiving you. I had to. I wasn't sure how you felt about me and I had to do everything I could to keep myself safe this time."

Glinda made a choked, squeaky noise and sank down into an armchair, trembling all over. "You mean... you mean I'm right? I never... I didn't really think that..." she stammered.

Elphaba let out a small laugh. "Oh, Glin, you've always been so much smarter than you thought you were."

The blonde's eyes widened even further, nearly popping out of their sockets, and her face was paler than Elphaba had ever seen it. "E-Elphaba?"

"In the flesh," said the young witch, feeling as if a weight was lifted from her now that her best friend finally knew. "Slightly differently coloured flesh than you are used to, I'll grant you that, but yes. It's me."

"Oh my Oz," Glinda whispered, her eyes still wide as saucers. Elphaba genuinely thought the girl was going to faint for a moment, she looked so pale and unsteady. "Oh, sweet Oz..."

"Glinda..." Elphaba crouched down in front of her friend as she tried to meet her eyes. "I am so sorry," she said again, trying to convey her sincerity. "I'll explain everything, I promise. Please forgive me for lying to you."

Glinda hiccupped something between a sob and a laugh. She suddenly lashed out and slapped Elphaba across the face, actually whipping her head to the side, and Elphaba gaped at her friend.

Well, she supposed she'd sort of deserved that for lying to Glinda for all those months. Not to mention for leaving her in the first place.

Glinda stared at Elphaba's face as if shocked herself by what she'd done. She studied her friend then, taking in her dark eyes, her facial features, and Elphaba could almost see her comparing the girl in front of her with the Elphaba she had known.

Then the blonde suddenly flung her arms around her former roommate's neck and burst into tears, and Elphaba knew she'd realised it was really her.

"Oh, sweet Oz," the blonde snivelled, burying her face in Elphaba's shoulder. "Elphie! I hate you!" It didn't sound very convincing between all the sniffles and sobs, but Elphaba understood what her friend meant.

"How could you?!" Glinda demanded, pulling away to look at the other girl indignantly. "Elphaba, you _lied_ to me! You've been lying to me for months! All those times I talked to you about... well, you... and told you how much I missed my best friend, you knew that it was you and you didn't say anything! I can't believe you could do such a thing!"

"What else could I do?" asked Elphaba, taking Glinda's hands in her own and squeezing lightly. "I understand how you feel, Glin, I do, but you have to look at it from my perspective, too." She looked down at their joined hands. "I came here on the day you and Fiyero had your engagement ball," she said softly, "to free the Monkeys I magic-spelled two years ago... and yes, I'll admit it, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of you or Fiyero." She sighed. "The Wizard caught me, though, and he offered me a deal. I'd get to work with him, he'd change his policies for me – he'd help the Animals instead of working against them... how could I refuse? His only condition was for me to give up my identity, to pretend to be someone else. No-one could know. I thought it would be a small thing to give up – I never much cared for myself, anyway, you know that – but it was so much harder than I ever thought it would be."

"Of course it was," said Glinda snippily. "How could you think it would be easy?"

"Because I was convinced that you and Fiyero hated me!" Elphaba ran her fingers through her hair. Somehow, every time she did that, she still expected to see a flash of green from the corners of her eyes, rather than the pale skin that greeted her now. Even after all this time, she still had not gotten used to her new appearance – to any aspect of her new life. "I thought you'd resent me for abandoning you here... and Fiyero is the captain of the Gale Force. I was absolutely sure that you both believed I was wicked by now, or that you at least did not care the least bit for me anymore." She swallowed. "I thought you'd be happy upon hearing that I was dead."

There was a long silence after that. When Elphaba finally glanced up, she was surprised to see Glinda's face filled with rage.

"Elphaba Thropp," she said in a dangerously low voice. "For someone so smart, you can be so incredibly _stupid_."

The young witch stared at her friend, mouth slightly agape.

Glinda whacked her on the arm. "How could you ever think that?!" she demanded. "You were my best friend, Elphaba – you _are_ my best friend," she corrected herself, "and I love you! How could you think I would hate you? I missed you so much, and if anything, I felt guilty about not going with you!" She suddenly scowled. "Wait a clock-tick. I told you all this at some point. You listened to me rambling on about my best friend and how many regrets I had and how much I missed her for hours on end, and yet you still didn't say anything."

"I couldn't, Glin," Elphaba tried to explain. "I'm sorry and you have no idea how much it pained me to not be able to say anything, but I couldn't risk it. Oscar was afraid you'd accidentally slip up and you know what that would mean." Death. Or at the very least a lifetime in Southstairs. She could see that realisation dawning on Glinda's face, too, and she knew her friend understood.

Glinda sighed, shaking her head in dismay. "I guess I understand the "why"," she said reluctantly, "and I guess it's good that you finally put your own safety first, for a change..."

Elphaba was smiling even as she rolled her eyes at the blonde, who gave her a strange look for a moment before hugging her former roommate again.

"Oh, Elphie," she said, starting to sniffle again, "you have no idea how badly I missed your eye rolls!"

The formerly green girl gave a choked laugh, tears suddenly filling her own eyes as well as she hugged Glinda back. She hadn't even realised how badly she had missed this – not Glinda, per se, since she had been here all along; but mostly their already existing friendship, their comfortable banter and silliness, always with an undertone of fondness. It was familiar and that in itself felt wonderful.

"I can't believe how different you look!" Glinda pulled away again and shook her head, taking Elphaba in from head to toe. "And yet at the same time, I can't believe I missed it. How did you do all this?"

"Morrible had a spell book focusing on disguises," said Elphaba. "She used some spells – one to make my skin look normal, one to change the colour of my hair, and one to curl it."

"That's all?" the blonde asked incredulously. "You changed your skin colour and your hair and that was enough to keep me from recognising you?!"

Elphaba had to grin at the tone of Glinda's voice. "It wasn't just that, you know. It was also the fact that you'd never expect to find me here in the Emerald Palace, of all places, and the announcement of my death..."

Glinda winced at that. "That was the most horrible day of my life," she said, her voice trembling. "I just... I heard some rumours, people having heard from some Gale Force members that you were dead, but I didn't want to believe it. There are always rumours like that flying around, after all. But then Morrible sent out word that there would be an announcement and when I asked her what it was about, she told me. She said you were dead, that you ran into a few Gale Force soldiers and they tried to capture you, but you resisted to the point where they had no choice but to shoot you..."

There were tears leaking down her face by now, and Elphaba rose to her feet and retrieved a handkerchief from a drawer in the corner, which she handed to her friend. Glinda gave her a small smile as she took it, but her hands were still shaking and her eyes were still pained.

"It was the worst day of my life," she whispered again. "I couldn't even cry that day. I just... locked myself in my room and sat inside all day long, the windows closed because I couldn't listen to the people celebrating your death. Fiyero tried to come talk to me, but he gave up after a while." She looked up at Elphaba. "I heard the servants found his room in complete disarray after he found out about your death as well – that he had destroyed everything in sight and even punched a few holes in the wall. I don't know if that's true, though," she added, looking down again. "I stayed in my room for a few days afterwards and he didn't want to talk to anyone, either. Even when things sort of went back to normal – on the outside, anyway – I never asked him about those rumours and he never asked me how I dealt with it all. I guess we both realised that was something private."

Elphaba stayed completely still, frozen in place with shock – for more than one reason. Everything about Glinda's story filled her with guilt and sadness. She'd never intended to cause her friends so much pain. Had she known... would it have changed anything?

Yes, she knew almost instantly. Had she known, she wouldn't have done it. Any of it. She could never have purposefully hurt Glinda and Fiyero like that, not even for freedom and love and opportunities.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, knowing that those words would never be enough, no matter how true they were. She was sorry for leaving Glinda behind, for not seeking her out during her years on the run to reassure her friend that she was all right. She was sorry for deceiving and lying to her best friend and for doubting her in the first place – she should have known Glinda would never hate her, but her self-doubt had taken over the way it usually did and convinced her otherwise. Things would have been different if only she'd had a little more faith in the petite blonde.

She was also sorry for what she knew would happen soon: Fiyero breaking up with his fiancée. That was something Elphaba felt guilty for as well, but she could not change it or even say anything to Glinda about it. She decided to go and talk to Fiyero later to see if he was absolutely certain about all this, though – that was the least she could do... but even if she was, however unintentionally, the cause of their break-up, it was still something between Fiyero and Glinda. She just hoped the blonde would be able to forgive her and Fiyero both.

"Don't be sorry," said Glinda, shaking her head. She gave Elphaba a half-smile. "Or, well, you can be sorry. A little. It _was_ rather awful, after all, what you did."

Despite herself, the young witch chuckled.

"But I understand why you did it," Glinda continued, "and I probably would have done the same thing, had it been me, so I forgive you. I forgive you, Elphie. Now please stop beating yourself up over it, because I can see in your face that that is what you have been doing for the past... well, knowing you probably for the past two years."

Elphaba stared at her friend in amazement and Glinda giggled. "I know you, remember?"

"So you do." Elphaba bit her lip. "I missed you so much, Glinda."

"Stop that," the blonde ordered in a choked voice. "Don't say such things. I don't want to cry again. I think I've done enough crying to last me a lifetime."

Elphaba smirked a little and for a while the two girls just sat there, smiling at each other and taking each other in, perfectly content just being together.

* * *

 **That went well, didn't it? How boring. There will have to be some drama coming up soon, then, won't there? Oh, wait... there is!**


	17. 17

**Again, thank you all - and kudos to you for being so patient regarding the Fiyeraba :P.**

* * *

 **17.**

Not that much had changed. She was still pretending to be someone she was not; the Wizard was still missing, Morrible still wanted to use her for her own dark purposes, and then there was the matter with Fiyero – which she still really could not think about too much for fear of going crazy. Despite all that, though, Elphaba felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She practically floated to the throne room for her appointment with the Press Secretary.

All she could think about was that Glinda knew. Glinda knew and she did not hate her. They could be friends again – best friends, like they had been at Shiz, without Elphaba feeling guilty or hating the fact that she couldn't tell her blonde friend everything – that she had to lie to her all the time. Glinda had sworn on everything she held dear that she would never tell anyone the truth and Elphaba believed her. Her friend knew as well as she did what the consequences of a slip-up could be.

Her happy mood evaporated just a little bit when she entered the throne room and laid eyes on Morrible, looking fish-like as ever with her bulging eyes and puckered lips. She seemed to be wearing even more make-up than usual and the mere sight of her sent shivers down Elphaba's spine – of fear or of disgust, she wasn't sure. Probably both.

"Your Highness!" Morrible crowed when she saw the princess, curtseying. "There you are!"

"Madame Morrible," said Elphaba, carefully keeping her voice neutral as she nodded at the older woman. "You wanted to see me?"

Morrible waved the guards who had opened the door away and the moment they closed the door behind them, she dropped the smile. "Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to business, dearie," she said. "I know Oscar allowed you to keep the Grimmerie, but Oscar is not here and I want it back."

Elphaba snorted. "You can't even read it."

"Does that matter? It's the most powerful book of magic in all of Oz, Miss Elphaba, and I do not trust you. I don't want it in your possession. You'll give it to me or I'll tell the people the truth."

Elphaba scowled at the woman. She could not openly defy Morrible; not when she held Oscar captive somewhere. She had not yet made any progress in finding her father, but she was confident that she could – somehow. She just needed to keep Morrible off her back until that time. Once she could get Oscar to safety, she could deal with Morrible, but until then she had to play the old hag's game.

That did not mean she had to obey every order and do everything the Press Secretary told her to, however.

"I don't have it," she said.

Morrible frowned. "What?"

"I don't have it." Elphaba looked down, pretending to be ashamed. "I lost it early on in my days as the Witch of the West," she lied. "I think it has been stolen, or maybe it was just lost. I don't know. I never found it again."

Morrible's eyes narrowed. Elphaba could almost see the woman thinking, considering her words, trying to decide whether or not the formerly green girl was lying. Elphaba decided to throw in some more.

"I've been trying to keep that fact hidden from you and Oscar," she muttered, bowing her head. "I didn't want you to know that I lost the one thing that could give me some bargaining power with you."

She could see Morrible's eyes clear and she was cautiously optimistic that her trick had worked. "Yes, well," the woman sneered, "you were right about that. Oz, how could you possibly lose the Grimmerie?!"

"I wasn't used to life on the run!" Elphaba defended herself. "I had to quickly flee once and I left it behind in my hurry! When I came back, it was gone!"

Morrible grumbled under her breath and the young witch knew she'd won. "Little idiot. For your sake, I hope it didn't fall into the hands of someone who can read it, because then we could have a serious problem." She shook her head. "Never mind all that, though. If we don't have the Grimmerie, we're going to have to improvise." She studied Elphaba. "I want the people to believe that I have great power," she said, "possibly even greater than the Wizard's. You're going to tell the Ozians that I have been tutoring you in magic, now that the Wizard has vanished, and then you're going to show them something grand to convince them of how much you have learned under my supervision."

"You want to indirectly convince the people of your power by showing off mine," Elphaba concluded. "Clever." She didn't see too much harm in that. The people already thought Oscar was powerful – most of them probably at the very least suspected Morrible to have some powers, too. And if Elphaba would still be the one to cast the spells, at least it would be clear to the people that _she_ was powerful as well and they would not suddenly start following Morrible like blind sheep.

Morrible smirked. "I know."

"What do you want me to do?"

The woman shrugged. "We have a press conference planned for this Saturday," she said, "where I will inform the people of everything going on in Oz, just like I do on a regular basis; and I will update them on anything going on with the Wizard – which, of course, is not much, because the Gale Force has not yet been able to find out much about his whereabouts or what has happened to him." Morrible smirked again. "After that, you will step forward and tell the people how grateful you are that Madame Morrible has taken you under her wing and taught you more about magic. I'll find you a spell to help impress the people – not just with your power, but also with your – _our_ – goodness. We could travel through Oz," she mused, "and do good deeds left and right. Just small things that will make the people trust me and get them on my side."

"Through me." It wasn't a question, because Elphaba knew the answer.

Morrible obviously knew it, too; because instead of replying, she just smirked again. "I think it is a brilliant plan," she said smugly.

Elphaba started feeling rather sick to her stomach – like always when she was around Morrible for too long. "May I be excused?"

Morrible waved her away. "Just remember to do as I say, dearie," she reminded the girl, "or you'll find the consequences most unpleasant."

Elphaba curtseyed mockingly and then left the throne room, muttering curses under her breath. It was all she could do against Morrible at the moment.

* * *

She told Glinda about Morrible's plans, too, and the blonde was utterly indignant; but, like Elphaba and Fiyero, she did not know what they could do about it.

"I'll try to find out anything about the Wizard," Glinda promised. "I'll just make sure to keep my eyes and ears open and perhaps I could charm my way into some officials' conversation – although I doubt whether they know anything about her plans."

"Probably not," Elphaba agreed, "but you never know. Fiyero is keeping an eye out, too, and so am I. We just need to try and find out what she's done with him and where she's keeping him and then we could get him out and defeat her."

Glinda made a face. "You make it sound so easy." She suddenly cocked her head to the side, eyes wide. "Elphie? I just thought of something. Does Fiyero know?"

Elphaba looked at her, confused. "What? I just told you he's keeping an eye out –"

"Not about Morrible and the Wizard," said Glinda. "About you."

"Oh." Elphaba faltered. "No."

"But you've been spending a few days together in the Vinkus," Glinda said, "and you've been pretty close lately, haven't you? He really doesn't know?"

Elphaba shook her head. "He can't, Glin. No-one can. Even though I know now that he doesn't hate me, either – he still considered me his friend up until my supposed death and he only joined the Gale Force because he wanted to find me..." She trailed off, unsure of how much Glinda knew and how much she should say. And besides, she really did not want to think about all the things Fiyero had told her. She knew she was running away from her own thoughts and feelings, but she could not help it. What he had told her was just too insane to be true... and even if it was, it could never lead to anything. She didn't want to think about it because it was too confusing and because it hurt too much. He couldn't know. He just couldn't. It would be best for him to try and move on – she was confident he would, eventually.

Glinda just nodded, oblivious to her friend's thoughts. "I understand."

"You should also really stop calling me "Elphie"," Elphaba pointed out. "If anyone overhears..."

Glinda's blue eyes widened. "Oh, dear." She faltered. "Should I just call you "Cassie", then?"

Elphaba grimaced. "If you insist on calling me a silly nickname, then yes."

The smaller girl giggled. "Of course I do, El- I mean, Cassie. You know me." She shook her head, sobering. "It's so strange to be sitting here across from someone I thought I knew," she said, "someone with pale skin and red hair whom I believed to be from Fliaan... and to call her "Elphie". I mean, I can see now that you are, in fact, Elphaba. I can't believe I never saw it before. Your eyes, and your face... even your voice. Skin colour and hair aside, I should have recognised you."

"No-one did," said Elphaba and Glinda nodded.

"I know, but still. I'm your best friend, Elphie."

"Are you sure you don't mean "bestest"?" Elphaba teased and her friend giggled.

"I did grow up a little, you know."

Elphaba smiled. "Good to know."

"It's weird, though," Glinda continued. "You don't look like Elphie, but you are Elphie, and Cassie does not really exist... it's all terribly confusing. Everything you told me about your life was a lie, wasn't it?"

"Pretty much," Elphaba admitted. "Oscar and I thought of a back story for me and I made other things up as I went. Most of my supposed childhood came from what I always heard from others and what I wanted to be the truth."

"Oh, Elphie... I mean, Cassie. Sorry." Glinda shook her head. "It must have been hard for you. Being unable to tell anyone who you really were, I mean."

"It was," said Elphaba quietly. "More so than you'll ever know. Oscar and Morrible knew, but nobody else. I'm happy I had Hero, but I still felt very lonely."

"Where did he come from, anyway?" Glinda asked curiously, looking around for the puppy.

"He's not here – I left him in my chambers when I went to see Morrible," said Elphaba, following her friend's gaze. "Oscar gave him to me as a sort of peace offering, I think. One of the few things he did that I really appreciate." She swallowed. He had tried. He'd been horrible to her, yes, but he had tried nonetheless and now she might never see him again. She felt a little guilty for treating him the way she had.

Glinda squeezed her hand, seemingly knowing what she was thinking. "He'll be okay, Elphie. Really. We'll figure something out."

Elphaba smiled half-heartedly at her friend. "Cassie," she corrected her, making Glinda roll her eyes. "And I hope so."

"No matter what, _Cassie_ ," the blonde stressed, giggling softly at Elphaba's face, "I'm here for you. You know that, right? I'll always be right behind you." She stomped the other girl's arm. "Just promise me you'll never do something like this to me again."

Elphaba laughed. "I promise." Then she sobered. "Glin... how is the situation in Munchkinland? Did you manage to solve things?"

Glinda grimaced. "Well, um..."

"Spit it out, Glin." Elphaba rubbed her face wearily. "There's nothing you can tell me that I haven't already imagined before. Nessa used to be an incredibly sweet girl, but I know she's not anymore."

The blonde girl sighed. "Honestly, Cassie? Nessa is a maniac. I'm sorry, but it's true. She's gone raving mad. The Munchkins are all terrified of her, but I've heard of plans to overthrow her, too, because it can't go on like this. She's terrorising the entire province."

Elphaba bit her lip. "I'm worried about her," she admitted. "I can't help her anymore, I know that, but I'm afraid of what Morrible might do to her if she doesn't do what that old fish-lady says."

Glinda giggled, but then instantly grew serious again. "She's heart-broken, Elphaba," she said, before hastily adding, "I mean, Cassadi."

"Morrible?" the other girl asked in confusion, ignoring Glinda's slip-up.

The blonde fell into another giggling fit. "No, of course not Morrible. Don't be dense, Cassie. Nessarose." Glinda shook her head. "She learned about your death and apparently that only made things worse. I think she blames herself."

Elphaba, of course, instantly started feeling guilty; but Glinda scolded her.

"Stop that right now," she said sternly. "Nessa brought this all upon herself. I've tried to help her," she said wistfully, "but she wouldn't even listen to me. She had me kicked out of her house, just like that!" The indignant look on her face was almost comical, but Elphaba was too worried to so much as smile. She couldn't begin to fathom what her little sister was up to or what would happen to her because of it.

There was a knock on the door and Glinda rose to her feet, smoothing out her skirts. Elphaba did the same – she was a princess now, after all, so at least in front of other people, she should try to act like one.

"Come in!" Glinda called.

Fiyero poked his head in and smiled at the both of them, but his smile seemed forced and Elphaba suddenly felt cold. No. He couldn't do this now – she hadn't even talked to him yet!

"Hey," he said. "Glin, I was wondering if you had a moment? I need to talk to you." His eyes flickered apologetically to Elphaba for a moment before he added, "Alone."

Glinda blinked. "Of course, dearest." She squeezed Elphaba's arm. "We'll talk later."

"Of course." Elphaba kept her gaze down as she moved to the door, but she grabbed Fiyero's shoulder when she brushed past him. "Please don't do this," she whispered. "You'll break her heart."

He frowned. "Cass, you were the one telling me it wasn't fair to lead her on," he pointed out gently. "And you were right. I know this will hurt her, but I don't have a choice. I'll try to make it as easy for her as possible," he added, grimacing, "but she'll probably need you afterwards."

"And I'll be there." Elphaba swallowed. "I just... are you really sure?"

He flashed her a sad smile. "I'm sure." She could see in his eyes that he meant it and she nodded, letting go of him.

"Good luck," she murmured and then left, closing the door behind her.

* * *

 **Is that a cliffy? I'm not sure it counts.**


	18. 18

**Please excuse yet another late update - I was at a friend's wedding yesterday and I didn't get back until, like, 2 AM.**

 **Again, thank you all so much for your amazing reviews. They really make my day! (And Mother yackel, I love that description of last chapter's "mudslide"!)**

* * *

 **18.**

Elphaba had expected to be seeing Glinda soon, appearing in her rooms with red and puffy eyes to cry for a few hours over Fiyero breaking up with her. When no-one appeared, she thought perhaps their talk was taking longer than expected or Glinda needed some time alone first before coming to see her friend. After a few hours, though, the princess started to wonder if maybe Fiyero had told his fiancée the reason why he was ending their relationship and she became convinced that Glinda was furious with her. The thought had her pacing up and down and biting her lip for the next half hour or so. She didn't think she could handle Glinda finally starting to hate her after all. Not after everything that had happened already. It would be ironic, really – all this time, she'd believed Glinda to hate her; and just when the blonde had found out her friend's real identity, she would _actually_ start hating her.

When the knock on the door finally came, she had dozed off in one of her arm chairs and she blinked blearily, rubbing her eyes before remembering the situation and dashing over to the door. It wasn't Glinda, though.

Fiyero took in her rumpled appearance and grimaced. "I'm sorry. Were you asleep?"

"I nodded off," she said, holding the door open wider to invite him in. "It's fine, though. How did it go?"

He sighed as he came inside and fell down into the chair she had just been occupying. "As well as can be expected, I suppose," he said, his tiredness showing in and around his eyes and in his entire demeanour. "She was upset. Very much so. She also admitted, though, that she'd been expecting this for a while now and that things weren't as they used to be. She was sad and angry with me, but she'll be okay. She just needs some time to process things and to get used to the idea."

Elphaba nodded. "Did you tell her about..." She almost said "me", but caught herself at the last instant. "...Elphaba?"

"I did," he said cautiously. "Sort of, anyway. She, um... she wasn't happy about that part."

Elphaba winced. So Glinda _was_ mad at her.

"She blames me for not talking to her sooner," Fiyero went on, "about the whole situation, and for letting it come this far... she probably also blames me for being in love with her best friend. She's right, I guess, even though that wasn't really a conscious decision on my part." He swallowed. "I guess I've made a lot of mistakes with her."

Elphaba could not help herself – she had to know. "Does she blame Elphaba, too?"

"What?" Fiyero looked surprised. "No. Of course not. Elphaba never even knew about my feelings for her." He sighed, looking defeated again. "She probably wouldn't have returned them, either."

If only he knew. If only he _could_ know.

She bit her lip. So Glinda didn't blame her for causing a rift between her and Fiyero... but how long would that last once the bubbly blonde found out that Elphaba not only returned his feelings, but had been in love with him, too, for several years already?

"Are you okay?" she asked, suddenly realising that this couldn't be easy for him, either; and he gave her a weary smile.

"I'll live," he said, pushing himself back to his feet. "Anyway, I just wanted to come and let you know how it went. I don't think you'll see Glinda tonight – she said she wanted to be alone – but she'll probably talk to you in the morning. I guess I'll just go to sleep now."

She nodded, even though she didn't really want him to leave. "Thank you for telling me," she said. "Goodnight."

He hesitated, looking as if he wanted to say something else; but he just leaned in to kiss her cheek in good-bye. "Goodnight." Then he left.

* * *

When she came out of her rooms the next day, she was startled to find out that Glinda had been sent back to Munchkinland in the early hours of the morning and Fiyero had disappeared as well, supposedly to settle some matter with the king and queen of the Vinkus. Despite the somewhat plausible stories, Elphaba instantly saw through it all: Morrible was trying, even more so than before, to keep them apart. She wasn't sure what the old hag wanted to achieve by doing so, but it couldn't be anything good.

She brooded on it as she threw sticks for Hero to fetch in the gardens. Was Morrible suspecting something? But what? Did she know about Elphaba's plans regarding her and the Wizard? Did she somehow know that Glinda knew who Cassadi truly was? At best, she had noticed how much time Elphaba was spending with her two friends and she was afraid the three of them might hatch some kind of plan together. At worst, though... Elphaba didn't even want to think about that.

She hoped to get some answers when Morrible called her to the throne room that night, but the woman hardly told her anything – only that she would take Elphaba to travel around Oz and show off her power.

"You'll make the announcement about my tutoring you in magic tomorrow," Morrible told her, "and then we will set out early the next morning. I will prepare a route for us to take that will lead us through all the important provinces. We'll hold a press conference in every city of significance and show the people what you – what _we_ can do. It will be a trip of about a month." Her eyes were burning, eagerness shining through in her face. It only made Elphaba warier.

Nevertheless, she did as Morrible asked. She made the announcement, telling the people how glad she was that the powerful sorceress that was the Wizard's Press Secretary, Madame Morrible, had taken it upon herself to tutor Oz's crown princess. She revealed that the two of them would travel around the country to show the people their magic and their goodness, which was greeted with enthusiasm. Morrible gave a vague statement on the progress of the Gale Force's search for the Wizard before thanking the people.

"They're never going to remain satisfied with that," said Elphaba once they were back inside and she could finally take off her tiara. She hated dressing up for these formal occasions, but she understood that it was necessary to retain a certain image and dignity in front of the people. She also always wore a gown and tiara whenever she was meeting with some officials – although such meetings had only taken place once or twice, since Morrible had cut her out of them after she had taken over. The hag insisted on keeping Elphaba out of everything. "Sooner or later, they're going to realise that the Wizard is not coming back."

"Which is when you will transfer power to me permanently," said Morrible smugly. "I'll give you back Oscar – he just won't be the Wizard anymore. He'll be an ordinary man and if you or he ever breathes a word against that truth, I will destroy you."

"You'll never get away with this," Elphaba snapped, but Morrible cackled.

"Oh, dearie," she said, amused. "Are _you_ going to stop me? Do you fancy a dead father and a life in Southstairs that much?"

Elphaba bit her lip and kept her mouth shut.

That night, however, she locked the door and pulled the Grimmerie from its hiding place, deciding once and for all that she had to do something about Morrible. Preferably now, before she'd get too powerful. She didn't want to kill the woman – she didn't want to kill anyone at all – but she did have to stop her. Perhaps the Grimmerie contained a spell that would help her control the Press Secretary.

She spent the entire night looking through the book with Hero lying with his chin on her leg, watching her. She absently scratched his ears as she flipped page after page, but she did not find anything that could be of use to her. Dawn was breaking by the time she sighed and slammed the book shut. She contemplated taking it with her on their journey through Oz, but decided against it. It would be safer here; if she brought it with her, Morrible might find it. Here, she had sealed its hiding place with a simple, but effective spell that would keep anyone from finding it while she was gone.

She felt exhausted and frustrated as she put the book away and ran both hands through her long, curly hair. What kind of crown princess was she? She'd hardly done anything or even shown herself at all before Madame Morrible had taken over. The people did not know her. She didn't even know herself anymore. The discovery of her parentage could have been a great opportunity for her to finally make things better in Oz – to be making good, just like she had always wanted – and yet somehow, she'd found herself ensnared in Morrible's trap and she did not know how she could get out again.

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a blur. She and Morrible mostly ignored one another as they travelled from city to city in a spacious carriage, with Morrible studying spell books and Elphaba holding Hero on her lap and looking out of the window. In each city, Morrible would give a speech and present Elphaba, who then spoke a few words as well and showed the people something she could do. In some cities, she used healing spells to cure some minor injuries or less severe diseases; in others, Morrible summoned rain when it was dry or Elphaba made old trees bear fruit again. Everywhere they went, they were greeted with more enthusiasm and warmth, which was simultaneously flattering and frightening. Elphaba was glad that the Ozians responded to her so well – she certainly wasn't used to that, what with her past and all – but she was also worried that they responded equally well to Morrible. The hag already had power over the people and that could never end well.

When they came to Munchkinland, the princess tried to find an opportunity for her to see either Glinda or Nessarose – preferably both. She did see Nessa from afar, walking with her head held high and a scowl on her face, her eyes cold, surrounded by unhappy-looking Munchkin servants. Elphaba wanted more than anything to call out to her sister, to tell her who she really was and to try and talk some sense into her one last time; but she knew it would be of no use. She knew Nessa. The girl would never give in, no matter what. Knowing her and how she felt about her older sister, Nessarose would sooner call the guards and have her thrown in Southstairs than listen to what she had to say.

She did manage to talk to Glinda a day or two before Elphaba and Morrible would leave the province again. She had asked around and found out where the blonde girl was staying, after which she had sneaked off late at night and gone to Glinda's hotel.

"Oh, Elphie!" Glinda cried softly when she opened the door to her room and saw her friend standing there. She pulled Elphaba into the room and hugged her tightly. "Thank Oz! I wanted nothing more than to talk to you, but then I was sent away and... and..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Elphie," she blubbered, burying her face in the princess's shoulder, "he broke up with me! But he probably already told you that, didn't he? Wait..." She pulled back, sniffling, her face streaked with tears. "Did you know? That he wanted to break up with me and... and why?"

Elphaba avoided Glinda's gaze, unable to look her best friend in the eye, but unable to lie to her, too. "Yes," she admitted softly. "I haven't known for long... he told me about his feelings regarding you on the first day of our trip to the Vinkus and he told me... well, the other stuff... the day before you found out who I really was."

She didn't dare look up at the blonde as she stood there, waiting for Glinda to slap her or start yelling at her, but the blonde was quiet.

"Elphaba?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you... do you love him, too? And be honest with me. Please. No more lies."

This was it. The young witch swallowed, but nodded. "Yes," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Glinda. I didn't know how he felt about me and I swear I never would have acted on my feelings, but... but yes. Ever since Shiz."

The room was completely silent for a few heartbeats, aside from Glinda's heavy breathing. Elphaba was holding her breath. She was hoping against hope that her friend could forgive her for this, but she knew it had to be too much. On top of everything else...

Glinda eventually pointed a trembling finger at the still-open door. "Get out."

Elphaba's shoulders slumped and she took a ragged breath. "Glin –"

"There are limits to the things one person can do to another, Elphaba," the blonde said, her voice low and choked. "You're my best friend, but I feel like I hardly know you. All those lies..." She trailed off.

"Glinda, please," Elphaba almost begged, but her friend shook her head.

"I can't take this right now," she said, suddenly near tears. "I can't, Elphie. It's just... it's too much. Just go. We'll talk when we're back in the Emerald City, but I really can't even stand to look at you right now."

Elphaba hung her head, sad, but understanding. She'd expected this much. She'd expected far worse, actually. And so she simply nodded and left, desperately hoping that she had not just lost her best friend for good.


	19. 19

**19.**

When the princess caught a glimpse of Boq the next day, she gripped Morrible's arm.

"Let go of me!" the woman hissed, flushing with anger, but Elphaba just squeezed harder.

"Look," she breathed. "Boq."

Morrible followed her gaze and frowned, puzzled. Then her face cleared. "The young man you turned to tin? Your sister's servant?"

Elphaba nodded and held her breath, looking at Morrible. "It would be perfect," she said softly, her eyes shining. "Wouldn't it? If we want to show the people how powerful we are and how much we really care about them..."

Morrible cocked her head to the side. "Changing him back _would_ be a good idea, wouldn't it?" she agreed. "However, you seem to forget that the spells from the Grimmerie are irreversible – not to mention the fact that we could not even use an equally powerful spell to try and counter this one, because _you lost the Grimmerie_."

Elphaba ignored that jab, her mind working rapidly through the possible solutions. "If we combined our powers, wouldn't a less powerful spell work, too?"

The Press Secretary sighed. "Possibly, yes."

"Why are you so hesitant?" Elphaba demanded. "I thought you wanted to convince the people of our goodness. This would be perfect." Her eyes narrowed. "You're hesitant because you know changing Boq back would make me feel less guilty, don't you? You don't want to do anything that might make me happy in even the smallest way."

Morrible rolled her eyes. "What can I say? Your misery is the joy of my life," she said sarcastically. "Don't be ridiculous, dearie. I have more important things on my mind and not everything is about you."

Elphaba knew she'd hit the nail on the head, though – at least partially. Fortunately, Morrible did not keep up the fight and instead said, slightly reluctantly, "I think I might know a spell that could help him."

They performed it in the middle of the large square of Munchkin City, demonstrating to the people exactly how great their power was and how much they cared about their people by changing a tin Boq back into a human one – thankfully, the spell actually worked. He was so grateful and relieved that he hugged the both of them – it was hard to say who was more uncomfortable, Elphaba or Madame Morrible – and went around telling everyone that the Crown Princess and the Press Secretary had just saved his life.

Elphaba and Morrible left the province the next day and the princess spent the entire carriage ride to their next city of destination thinking about the Munchkin, happy that she had finally managed to do something good and hoping that he could maybe help Nessa in some way. She also thought a lot about Glinda, but gave up after a while, recognising her thoughts were merely going in circles. She wouldn't be able to sort this out by herself, anyway. All she could do was wait for Glinda to come to her once they were back in the City.

A thought suddenly struck her and she turned to Morrible, feeling anxious. "What did you do to Oscar?"

Morrible looked up, disturbed; then she smiled slowly. "Are you asking me if I left him locked up somewhere with no food or water while we're on this trip?" she asked, amused. "Don't worry, dearie, he's quite safe. Locked up, yes, but he'll be perfectly fine. As long as you do as I say, that is."

"I am, aren't I?" Elphaba asked, gritting her teeth, and Morrible pursed her lips.

"You are," she agreed. "Let's just see if it stays that way – particularly once I start asking other things of you."

"Like what?" Elphaba demanded, sitting up a little straighter. Hero, sensing her emotions, got to his feet and growled; but the young witch put her arms around him, preventing him from doing anything else. She was afraid Morrible might hurt him otherwise. "What is it you really want out of this?"

"Power, of course." Morrible leaned back in her seat and looked out of the window. "What else is there? I want to rule Oz. I thought I'd made that pretty clear. What we're doing now is placating the people. By seeing us together, they'll become convinced that you – their crown princess – approve of my person and my actions, which will make it easier for the Ozians to accept me in a position of power later on. We'll keep this up for a while as I pretend to search for Oscar and then I will announce that it does not seem like he will return. You'll admit that you're far too young and inexperienced to run a country and transfer all power over Oz to me. By then, the people will love us both to the point where they probably won't even care what happened to their beloved Wizard or which one of us two will rule. You will remain in the Palace so that you can help me with any magical issues if the need arises and so that the people will continue to see you with me; other than that, you'll be free to do whatever you wish. You can take Oscar and live happily with your father in a part of the Emerald Palace. You can also find yourself a man, get married, and raise a family. I don't care what you do, as long as you'll be there when I have need of you."

"Or else you'll expose my true identity," Elphaba finished for the old hag. "I get it."

Morrible smiled. "Good."

Elphaba went back to sulking after that – although she would _never_ call it that – and she and Morrible barely spoke again, not counting their fake public exchanges that were supposed to sway the Ozian people.

They had spent about three weeks in total travelling around Oz when they finally arrived in the Vinkus and Elphaba could not help the way her eyes lit up when she noticed her surroundings. She had always liked the Vinkus before, which was why she had spent most of her time on the run there; but it held a special significance to her as well that had nothing to do with the beautiful grasslands, vast forests, or friendly people. Fiyero.

She hoped he would be here – the city they were going to was the one closest to the royal residence of the Vinkun king and queen, after all. Morrible had said Fiyero had been sent here to negotiate something with his father, hadn't she? Would he still be here after three weeks? Had he returned to the City by now? Even then, being in the Vinkus made her feel closer to him and she could use that. With Oscar gone and Glinda mad at her, she felt an almost desperate ache to be close to someone.

Hero wagged his tail and instantly started dashing about when they exited the carriage, running into a meadow and barking at some crows before racing back to Elphaba and Morrible. The latter shooed him away, earning herself a dirty look from the former green girl, which she ignored. The Press Secretary led them both to the inn where they would spend the night, made Elphaba change into something more formal, and then ushered the princess out of the inn and into the streets for their next speech.

* * *

It was after the speech that she was approached by a young man. For a heartbeat, she thought it was Fiyero; but then she realised this man was shorter and had dark hair and eyes. His face did not look the same, either, although it bore certain similarities to Fiyero's; and when he introduced himself as "Prince Luckas Tiggular, Leader of the Vinkun Royal Hunting Party" with a bow, she realised that she was looking at Fiyero's younger brother.

"Your Highness," she greeted him, curtseying. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard a lot about you." She smiled. "He told me all about your hunting skills and your little sister Myracle's teenage antics, not to mention about your parents."

Luckas's eyes lit up. "Come with me," he suggested, "to see them. They'd love to meet you."

Elphaba hesitated, feeling a bit nervous at the thought of meeting Fiyero's family, but her curiosity won out and she agreed. "I'll just tell Madame Morrible I'm leaving," she said, turning around and scooping Hero up in her arms before approaching the Press Secretary.

Morrible spluttered when the young witch told her she was going with Prince Luckas, but Elphaba stood her ground.

"You said I could do whatever I wanted," Elphaba reminded her. "Right now, I want to visit my friend's family."

The hag rolled her eyes. "I said you could do that after I become the new leader of Oz," she corrected her. "Not until then. I don't –"

"Trust me?"

Morrible glared at her. "Stop finishing my sentences."

"Then stop repeating yourself," Elphaba sneered. "I know what you will do if I step out of line. I won't. I'll be back tonight." Without waiting for an answer, she left, her head held high. Playing Morrible's game was one thing, but she decided that she would not let the woman affect her in other ways as well. She'd do as she pleased and she didn't need Morrible's permission for anything, thank you very much.

For a brief moment, she wondered what Fiyero's family would do if they knew the truth – about Morrible's influence on her, that was, not about her true identity. Would they take steps? Would there be war? She quickly shook the thought off, however. Telling them would be too risky – for herself, for them, and for Oscar and everyone else she loved as well. Morrible was not above handing out some kind of extreme punishment and Elphaba was afraid other people would suffer if she told anyone what was going on. The possibility that Fiyero had already told his family about it all crossed her mind, but she shook off those thoughts. If that was the case, she wouldn't be able to change it anymore, anyway.

Luckas grinned at her when she approached him– that same lopsided grin Fiyero always gave her. "Escaped?" he asked, reaching out to scratch Hero's ears. The puppy's tail wagged happily.

"Barely," she told him with a little smirk. "Let's get out of here."

They started walking down the street and he asked, "Why don't you have any guards with you? I mean, you're the crown princess of Oz. Even I can hardly go anywhere without an escort." He gestured wryly to the guard that was trailing a few steps behind them, looking inconspicuous.

Elphaba smirked again. "Because I told them off rather harshly the last time they started following me around." They wouldn't be of any use, anyway. Morrible was the real danger. And even if some citizen did attack her, she was able to defend herself. She'd decided very early on that she would _not_ be followed around by a couple of bodyguards everywhere she went and the responsible officials – including Fiyero, as Captain of the Guard – had eventually relented. She suspected Fiyero had convinced the others, having gotten to know "Cassadi" by now and recognising that she would be much happier without an escort and that she was able to take care of herself. "Besides," she added, "I have my magic, not to mention my very own watch dog." She petted Hero, who licked her hand, and Luckas laughed.

They talked pleasantly as they walked up to the castle the royal family lived in. Eventually, Elphaba found herself in a fancy study beside the prince with the one and only King Hamold Tiggular of the Vinkus sitting in a chair across from her.

He looked up from his work and a smile broke through on his face. "Luckas! Who is your lovely lady friend?" Elphaba set Hero down and politely held out her hand, which Hamold shook enthusiastically.

Luckas smiled. "Your Highness, this is my father, King Hamold of the Vinkus. Dad, this is Princess Cassadi Welther. I met her after she held a speech at the square in town."

Hamold smiled, too. "It's an honour to have you here, Your Highness."

Elphaba could feel herself blushing a little. "You may just call me Cassadi, Your Majesty," she said awkwardly.

Hamold laughed. "And you can just call me Hamold, Cassadi," he said, clearly amused. "Luck, you should go and find your mother. She'd love to meet the princess. After all we've heard about her from Fiyero – first in his letters, and then when he came here…"

Elphaba suddenly wondered just how much, exactly, Fiyero had told his family about her – and what.

"And visit the small study on your way to Lori," the king added, winking at his son. "There's someone there whom I think will love to see Cassadi."

Luckas led Elphaba out of the room and through the hallways, where she gaped at the chandeliers and tapestries adorning the ceilings and walls. "How rich _are_ you?"

"We're the royal family of the Vinkus," he said with a sheepish grin. "We have a lot of old money in our treasure chamber. It's very different from the Wizard's wealth, I suppose, since our family descends from a centuries-old line of Vinkun kings and queens."

She paled a little. "You have an actual _treasure chamber_?"

He nodded, chuckling at her face. "We do, although it's not as impressive as it sounds. It mostly contains papers – contracts between us and Vinkun farmers or lords, for example, or debts that still have to be paid to the Crown. There are a few cabinets filled with jewellery once owned by my ancestors, too, and some other valuable objects."

"Wow." She exhaled slowly. "I'd love to see that."

He grinned at her. "I'll show you later." He steered her towards a door and followed her into the study that lay beyond, Hero trailing behind the two of them. When she saw who was sitting inside, she sucked in her breath with a sharp hiss.

"Yero!"

* * *

 **If that counts as a cliffy, it was honestly unintentional - the chapter was just getting too long and I couldn't find a good point to cut it off :P.**


	20. 20

**Um... hi... *crickets chirping* *wails* I'M SORRY, OKAY? Let's just establish that I am not good at doing _anything_ on a schedule, not even updating a fanfic, and leave it at that. :P**

* * *

 **20.**

Fiyero looked up and a broad grin spread across his face. "Cass?! How did you get here?" He rose and came over to hug her… and then she was suddenly crying.

She sensed Luckas tactfully backing out of the room even as Fiyero led her over to a couch against the wall, setting her down with his arms still around her. "Cass?"

She shook her head, unable to get out anything but sobs. Seeing him here, so familiar and _safe_ after spending so much time with a plotting Morrible and after Glinda sending her away... it was just too much. She'd thought she could do all this, that she was strong, but maybe she wasn't. Maybe she should never have started all this.

He held her without saying a word, even though his confusion was almost tangible. She was grateful for that. She had no idea what she could answer to the questions he would have.

When her sobs finally subsided and he asked softly, "Cassadi, what's wrong?", she almost told him everything. Almost. Instead, however, all she could manage was, "I don't think I can do this anymore."

His face softened and she knew he thought she meant the whole situation with Morrible, perhaps in combination with being a crown princess in general. And those things _did_ bother her. A lot. There was so much more, however, that he didn't know and could never know about; and that knowledge only made it worse.

"You can," he said, pulling away and rising to his feet. He pulled a handkerchief from the drawer of his desk and handed it to her before sitting down next to her again. "Cass, you can do this. I know it must be hard, but –"

"No, you don't know!" She scooted away from him, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. "It's just that... never mind. I'm sorry. I'm okay."

He was watching her intently. "I don't think you are."

She bristled. "I said I'm okay, Fiyero. Let it go." She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her dress and changed the subject. "I didn't know you were still here."

She could tell that he was not ready to let it go completely, but fortunately, he played along for now. "I didn't particularly feel like going back to the City," he said. "Especially not without either you or Glinda there." He hesitated. "Did you see Glinda? I heard you were in Munchkinland..."

"I did," she said softly.

"How is she?"

She chewed on the inside of her cheek, contemplating her answer. "Sad," she replied finally. "Heart-broken. She didn't really want to talk about it."

He nodded. "I hope we can still be friends," he said with a sigh. "I never meant to hurt her, but I guess that in the end, results count more than intentions."

She almost snorted in agreement, but restrained herself. She knew he was right. No matter how well a person's intentions, all other people ever saw were the end results. No good deed went unpunished. She supposed it was time for her to finally learn that lesson, after all the disappointments she'd already faced so far.

They talked for a while longer. Elphaba told him everything she could about the situation with Morrible, about Glinda, and about how she had been in general since Fiyero had left; and Fiyero told her about his time here in the Vinkus with his family, promising her to show her around as much as he could before she had to leave again. He agreed to give her a tour of the castle after dinner, which would be in about half an hour, and then told her mysteriously that he wanted her to meet someone else first.

Curiously, she allowed him to lead her out of the study. It turned out that he took her to the parlour, where a middle-aged woman was sitting in the window seat with a cup in her hand and a book in her lap, dark blonde hair tumbling loosely to her shoulders, her dark green dress simple. Elphaba was a little startled – if this was Fiyero's mother, she was not at all what the young witch had expected.

Fiyero cleared his throat and the woman looked up. She smiled widely and then approached the two of them, taking the girl's hands in her own. "Crown Princess Cassadi Welther of Oz," she said with a proud undertone, as if she had somehow played a part in Elphaba's becoming that herself. "Luckas already told me he brought you here. It is wonderful to finally meet you."

Elphaba cracked a smile. "It's rather strange to suddenly be royalty," she admitted. "I'm not entirely used to it yet."

Lori's eyes lit up. "Of course – you grew up as a normal girl in Fliaan, didn't you?" Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "¡Es un placer al fin conocerte! Fiyero nos a contado todo sobre ti y por supuesto que escuchamos las noticias sobre ti. ¿Como has estado?" _It's so nice to meet you! Fiyero has told us a lot about you and of course we've heard the announcements made about you. How are you doing?_

Elphaba smiled. "Muy bien, gracias _,_ " she replied graciously. "El placer es mío. Tienes una hermosa casa… digo, castillo," she quickly corrected herself, blushing sheepishly. _I'm fine, thank you. It's very nice to meet you, too. You have a beautiful house... I mean, castle._

Lori laughed at that. "Muchas gracias – ha estado en nuestra familia por generaciones _,_ " she said, thanking Elphaba and explaining that the castle had been in the royal family for generations. The formerly green girl loved that fact. She'd always had a fondness of old buildings – the history behind them always fascinated her and she decided she'd ask Fiyero, or perhaps his parents, about the stories behind this castle later.

"Um, hello?" Fiyero waved helplessly at them. "Could we perhaps talk in a language we _all_ understand?"

"Well, dear, it's not my fault you rather doodled in your notebook than paid attention to your teachers," Lori said brightly. "Your siblings learned to speak Fliaan rather nicely."

Fiyero huffed and Elphaba laughed. "Somehow, that does not surprise me."

"¿Estas de acuerdo que Fyero puede ser a veces un poco estúpido?" Lori asked – _Do you agree with me that Fiyero can sometimes be a bit stupid?_ – and Elphaba giggled again.

"Por supuesto," she said, "pero también puede ser bastante cariñoso." _Absolutely, but he is also very sweet._

"That he is," Lori agreed in the Common Ozian language and Fiyero scowled at both of them.

"I heard my name," he said sullenly. "I don't like being gossiped about in a language I don't understand."

His mother smirked at him. "We were just agreeing on you being a little brainless," she said lightly and Fiyero snorted.

"I'm starting to regret coming to see you."

"We were only joking, Yero," Elphaba assured him. "I already like it here very much and your family is wonderful."

He grinned back at her. "I'll try to show you and tell you as much as possible while you're here," he promised again and she smiled.

"I'd love that."

They were interrupted by someone stomping into the room. "Mum, Luckas says – oh," the girl cut herself off when she saw her mother had a visitor. "Hello."

Elphaba turned and found herself face to face with what seemed to be a younger, female version of Fiyero. The girl had dark blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes with a mischievous twinkle in them, just like her brother; and even that faint, but seemingly permanent hint of a grin around the lips was there. The similarities were striking and she stared at her for a moment.

The girl's eyes flickered to Fiyero for a moment before she chortled. "I know. I look like him, don't I? Don't worry, though – I'm nothing like him. I got _all_ the good genes, not just the genes that _look_ good." She smirked at Fiyero, who rolled his eyes.

"Cass," he said with a sigh, "meet my little sister, Myracle. Myr, you'd better behave, because this is Crown Princess Cassadi Welther of Oz and if you do not grovel at her feet, she will turn you into a doormat. Literally."

"Fiyero," the queen said in a warning tone of voice, but Myracle just punched Fiyero's arm.

"Whatever you say, big brother." She curtseyed before Elphaba. "Your Highness, it is a pleasure to meet you," she said politely, "and I apologise in retrospect for everything stupid my brother has already said and done in your presence, as well as in advance for everything stupid he _will_ say and do in your presence in the future."

"That is quite enough, Myracle," Lori said firmly, but Elphaba grinned. She liked this girl. She'd heard a lot about Myracle before; Fiyero had always talked a lot about his siblings back at Shiz. She knew Luckas had always loved to hunt and was very good at it, which was why it had not surprised her now when he'd told her he was leading the royal hunting party. Fiyero had also told them all about Myracle, the sweetheart of the family. She had been named that because she had been born over a month too early and the doctors had called it a miracle that she had lived. By now, she was thirteen years old and, as Elphaba suspected from the few minutes she'd now spent with the girl, just as stubborn as her brother.

Luckas came in as well in search of his little sister and smiled when he saw them. "There you all are. I see you've met the little angel of our family, Cassadi."

Fiyero mussed his sister's hair. "Myracle is always behaving _much_ better than I was at her age," he teased.

"That's not a very hard thing to do," Myracle quipped and Luckas chortled. Fiyero flushed a little.

"She's pretty horrible," Luckas told Elphaba, "but since she's still nowhere as bad as Fiyero was, Mum and Dad are counting themselves lucky."

Myracle shoved him. "Oh, yes, because _you_ were such an angel!"

"He used to sneak off late at night to plunder the kitchen," Fiyero informed Elphaba, who grinned. She liked Fiyero's family. They were so easy-going, teasing one another back and forth, but always with an undertone of love. They were... normal. The kind of family she wished she could have had.

Lori, by now, had thrown her hands up in the air and was shaking her head. "What in Oz am I going to do with you?" she demanded in exasperation. "Didn't I manage to teach my children anything whatsoever?"

"Hey," Luckas protested, "you have one son who is Captain of the Guard in the Emerald City and another who is leading the royal hunting party. I think you did a great job raising us, don't you, Yero?"

"We're amazing," Fiyero agreed, "probably _partly_ thanks to Mum and Dad."

"And of course you raised a little angel, too," Luckas continued, poking Myracle in the stomach. "Our pretty, sweet, adorable little – _oomph_! Myracle!"

His sister, who had punched him hard in the arm, simply smiled innocently.

"Is this how you behave in the presence of the crown princess of Oz?" Lori asked pointedly, eyebrows raised, but her children didn't seem impressed.

"Yes," Myracle told her mother. Her brothers nodded in agreement.

Luckas glanced at Elphaba briefly. "Are you all right, Cassadi?" he asked and she felt her cheeks grow hot when she remembered he'd seen her break down in tears like a baby a little while ago.

"I'm fine," she said quickly. "Thanks for asking."

She saw that Luckas exchanged a look with Fiyero; but thankfully, neither of them said anything else, instead turning their attention to Myracle's chattering about how cute the princess's puppy was, and what was his name, and could she pet him?

During dinner, Fiyero's parents asked Elphaba a lot of questions about her life so far and how she was liking Oz – questions she tried to answer as truthfully as possible. She learned that Myracle was trying to get good grades because she was hoping to get into Shiz, just like her older brother – something that told her the younger girl had probably been right about her not really being like him in personality. She also found out that Luckas was attending university here in the Vinkus, allowing him to continue living at home. Hamold talked to her about politics and Lori asked her about how she was doing, telling her kindly that if she ever wanted to talk about anything, she could come to the queen, for which Elphaba was grateful.

* * *

 **Again, thanks to Humole/Humbie for the Spanish translations!**


	21. 21

**This chapter is for DorothyThropp, the 300th reviewer of this story, along with a bunch of virtual cupcakes (or cookies - whatever you want)! Thank you all so much for all the reviews, they're all so lovely and there are so many of them, I'm overwhelmed!**

* * *

 **21.**

After dinner, all three Tiggular siblings took Elphaba on a tour around the castle. They showed her the wings that were no longer in use due to decay, hallways that had partially caved in, and dangerously steep stairs that used to serve as an escape route for the royal family in case of an attack. They also showed her the rooms that were still in use – the grand ballroom, the luxuriously furnished sitting rooms and parlours, a music room, bedroom and servants' quarters... and the library.

She knew she couldn't seem too eager or she might give herself away to Fiyero, but it was hard for her to restrain herself. She didn't think she had ever seen so many books in the same room. There was a library in the Emerald Palace; but since most of the people at court had better things to do than reading, it was not very large for a palace library. It was mostly used as just another sitting room. The library at Adurin Iir was something entirely different.

"Myracle loves the library," Luckas explained to Elphaba and his younger sister sniggered.

"Fiyero, on the other hand, obviously never saw it from up close."

Elphaba grinned and the prince rolled his eyes. "I'm starting to think I've been at home for too long," he complained good-naturedly. "Maybe I should take the next carriage back to the City, since everyone is being mean to me here."

Myracle rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a baby," she scolded him and Fiyero scowled at her.

"Thanks, little sis," he said sarcastically. "I love you, too."

Myracle seemed to be rather fond of Elphaba already, constantly talking to her and telling her things about the castle, asking about life in the Emerald Palace in return. Luckas and Fiyero told the former green girl some family histories and when they all returned to a large sitting room to have tea with Hamold and Lori, they talked about different things for a while longer, the topics varying from politics to games about everyone's likes and dislikes. Once Myracle and Luckas had disappeared off to their own rooms, however, the subject turned much more serious.

"Cassadi," said Hamold gravely, "Fiyero has told us about Madame Morrible."

Her head whipped around to face the prince and he flinched a little at the fierce look in her eyes. "I had to," he defended himself. "This isn't nothing, Cass, and I don't think we can solve it by ourselves. We need help."

"We can't solve it at all," she corrected him. "Not as long as we don't have any proof."

Hamold rubbed his chin. "She told you she is holding your father captive?" he asked.

Elphaba nodded. "She wants to rule Oz," she said, bending to set Hero down on the floor. He started padding around the room and Elphaba watched him for a while, lost in thought. "She said she will release him once I have made her Oz's new ruler in my place and he'll have to remain anonymous. No-one can know he was the Wizard."

Lori frowned. "But what will keep you and His Ozness from telling the people the truth after she releases him?" she asked. "Right now, the only leverage she has is him; but if she sets him free after she becomes the ruler of Oz, you could expose her for the manipulative criminal she really is and have her thrown in Southstairs. You'd just have to play along for a while, but you'd be able to get rid of her in the end."

Fiyero's face brightened considerably at that. "That's a great idea!" he said enthusiastically, his face falling a little when he saw Elphaba biting her lip. "Cass?"

"She... she's made other threats," said Elphaba vaguely, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I can't... I'm sorry, I can't tell you, but... let's just say Oscar is not the only leverage she has. She has enough to keep both him and me in check after she lets him go – let's keep it at that."

Lori looked worried. "That complicates things."

"We'll have to discuss this further," Hamold said thoughtfully. "Perhaps I could ask some of my closest advisors for some counsel on the matter – without telling them about any of this, of course. I will have them come over tomorrow." He smiled at Elphaba and Fiyero. "For now, though, I think we should all get some sleep," he said. "It's been a long day, I think, for some of us."

Elphaba's heart sank when she realised she'd have to go back to Morrible now, but Lori said swiftly, "You're staying here, of course, Cassadi. I will send a messenger to Madame Morrible to let her know you will be back tomorrow around lunchtime – that should give us enough time to discuss some strategies, but you'll still be back in time for the two of you to leave for the next city you'll be visiting. Don't worry, you can borrow anything you need," she reassured the girl.

"Thank you," said Elphaba gratefully. Even though nothing had really been solved yet, it was nice to know that other people were helping her come up with possible solutions now. At least she was not alone in this.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night, when she awoke from a dream, that it suddenly came to her and she gasped as she bolted upright. "A tracking spell!"

Of course. It was so simple, she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. She knew there was a tracking spell in the Grimmerie somewhere – if she cast it, she could find out where Oscar was; and once she knew that, she would have proof. She could have him freed, he would testify against Morrible in court, the old hag would be thrown into Southstairs for Oz knew how long and they would all be free of her influence.

She knew it would not be that easy, but she could not help feeling excited and hopeful. At least she had a lead now – a plan. She would find that spell in the Grimmerie the moment she and Morrible returned to the Emerald City and then hopefully, this mess would be resolved soon.

The next day over breakfast, she told Fiyero and his parents about her idea and they were all optimistic that it could work. King Hamold promised her he would continue trying to come up with solutions and that he would write to her if he found anything, which she was grateful for. Fiyero told her he would be travelling back to the Emerald City with her and Morrible once they were leaving and for that, she could almost kiss him (she quickly silenced the little voice in her head that said she'd be more than willing to kiss him even if he hadn't just rescued her from more hours alone in a carriage with Morrible).

Fiyero offered to walk her back to the inn, an offer she graciously accepted, and she bade the Tiggular family good-bye, although she promised to return before leaving back for the City. She then made her way out of the castle and back to town, Fiyero by her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked her after a while and she sighed.

"I suppose so," she said, watching Hero as he darted around their feet. "I feel better now that we have a plan. It's just all so... so complicated, and so tiring... so much has happened already and it's not by far over yet." She sighed again. She'd thought agreeing to work with the Wizard would be the beginning of an era of peace for her after two years on the run. She'd been looking forward to a simpler life, a life without running and hiding, constantly fearing for her life. Now, however, she was fearing for other people's lives – mainly Oscar's at the moment – and she was caught up in a whirlwind of happenings once again. She wondered if she'd ever get a moment to catch her breath, but then she remembered what she'd told Fiyero a long time ago: _I don't cause commotions, I am one._

She made a face. No, her life would probably never be easy and peaceful.

Fiyero picked up a stick from the side of the road and threw it. Hero barked enthusiastically as he ran after it, almost stumbling over his own legs in his eagerness, and Elphaba could not help but grin at the picture he made.

They did not talk again until they reached the inn and Fiyero told Morrible he would be going back with them. She obviously did not like that, but she eventually agreed. Then she all but kicked him out, claiming she and Elphaba had work to do for their next speech.

"I'll come and get you for a tour tomorrow," said Fiyero, squeezing her hand. "My siblings and I will show you around the Vinkus a bit."

"That sounds great," Elphaba agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He gave her a half-smile. "Hold on," he said. "It'll all work out in the end."

"I hope so." She let go of his hand and he turned to go back as she went inside again, hoping he was right.

* * *

The rest of the week, she had to spend more time with Morrible, performing more magic and holding more speeches in several large cities around the Vinkus. On the days Morrible set off on her own – either to write more speeches or to have meetings she did not want Elphaba to attend – the green girl took a horse and rode back to the main Vinkun city, where Fiyero and his family always welcomed her warmly and spend the rest of the day showing her around the Vinkus.

She found it hard to say good-bye to them after her final trip there. She had grown to like them all very much and Hamold was still trying to help her with Morrible, for which she was grateful. She couldn't come back, however; the next day, she and Morrible would visit a children's hospital and the day after that, they would go home. When she rode out to return to Morrible, Fiyero joined her, intending to stay at the same hotel they were and travel back to the City with them in two days' time. Those final two days were not nearly as bad as the month before had been, having had to spend almost all her time alone with Morrible, and they passed quickly; before she knew it, they were back in the Emerald City already.

Morrible disappeared quickly to take care of certain things – an announcement and press release about their trip, matters that had arisen during her absence and needed her attention now, such things – and Fiyero decided, upon returning, that he would go and see Glinda.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Elphaba asked sceptically. "I don't think she'll want to see you right now." Or Elphaba, for that matter. She still hoped she and her blonde friend would be able to talk things out, but she worried that maybe Glinda would never be able to forgive her for this.

"Probably not," Fiyero agreed wearily, "but I have to try."

"Good luck," said Elphaba, watching him go before heading in the direction of her own rooms with Hero trailing behind her. They were both greeted enthusiastically by Vana and Cheri and after talking to them for a while, Elphaba dismissed them, pleading fatigue after her trip. They left and Elphaba went straight for the place where she had hidden the Grimmerie, intending to search it for that tracking spell straight away. The sooner she'd find Oscar, the sooner things would be solved and settled and she might even be able to lead a somewhat less stressful life then – even if she was right and it would never really be peaceful. She stuck her hand inside and felt around.

Nothing.

Trying not to panic, she removed her hand and peered into the crack in the wall in the corner of the room. This place was hidden behind the wardrobe, which had still been in place when she had entered the room, and sealed with a protection spell. No-one could have found it... right? She squinted, staring into the empty crack as if the magical book would appear if she only looked long and intently enough, but it was of no use.

The Grimmerie was gone.

* * *

 **Dun dun duuuuuun! I suppose I don't really have to launch into that speech about upholding my reputation again, do I?**

 **As for Fiyero finding out... it won't be much longer, I promise. This is where the drama begins!**


	22. 22

**ElsaElphieGinny: I am currently writing chapter 28 and that will be one of the final ones, so I'd say this story will have 30 chapters at most. And thanks for all your reviews! :)**

* * *

 **22.**

Glinda came to see her that evening. She was let into Elphaba's rooms by Vana and stayed in the sitting room as the maid went to fetch her mistress.

Elphaba, exhausted after her long journey with Morrible, was already dressed in a nightgown, but of course she came out to greet her friend the moment Vana told her the blonde was here. She felt apprehensive and she was worried that Glinda might not forgive her, but she just had to know. The sooner, the better.

"Glin?" she said quietly as she approached.

Glinda curtseyed stiffly. "Your Highness," she greeted Elphaba formally. "Can we talk somewhere in private?"

Elphaba's heart sank at the blonde's demeanour, but she understood what Glinda meant and nodded. "Come with me." She thanked Vana and dismissed her and Cheri before leading Glinda to her bedroom, where the good witch sat down on the couch and took a deep breath.

"I'm not going to pretend that nothing happened," she said, "because things _did_ happen and it might take me a while to forgive you for that."

Elphaba hung her head. "I know. Glin, I... I'm really sorry," she tried, but Glinda cut her off by holding up one hand.

"Let me finish, Elphaba, please."

The princess closed her mouth and nodded, waiting for her friend to go on.

"Thank you." Glinda looked at her. "I'm still upset with you for lying to me for so long," she said. "I didn't really get a chance to process that properly before the next bomb was dropped on my head."

"I tried to stop Fiyero," Elphaba interrupted her, desperate to make her friend understand. "I didn't want him to do it at that point in time. Actually, I didn't want him to do it at all. I tried to talk to him about it, but he said he was really sure and he didn't want to lead you on – and he shouldn't, but I just –"

"For Oz's sake, Elphie, stop talking," Glinda said with a roll of her eyes. "I know all that. It doesn't matter. Things happened the way they did and I had to deal with them, but I guess the fact that those two shocks came so close after one another did not really improve my coping abilities. I was... well, not wrong, but my reaction was a bit exaggerated. It's not your fault you fell in love with my boyfriend and I believe you when you say you never would have acted on it. Despite all the secrets you've kept from me and the lies you've told me, you _are_ my best friend and I like to think I know you at least a little."

Elphaba flushed, looking down in shame. "Glinda... you know me better than anyone," she said honestly, not looking at the blonde. "You're my best friend and I hated lying to you. Not just about my identity, but about... well, everything."

"I know. We've already had this conversation and you've apologised. That's all I can ask of you, anyway. I just need to find a way to deal with it, that is all. Being away helped." She grimaced. "Oh, Elphie... we need to talk about that, too. About Munchkinland."

"Why?" asked Elphaba in alarm. "What's going on?"

Glinda bit her lip. "The people have risen up against Nessa, Elphie," she muttered. "They've locked her up in a prison in Munchkin City."

Elphaba froze.

"They haven't decided on a new leader yet. It's utter chaos," Glinda continued. "I've done what I could, but it was of no use and I had to return here. Morrible has been told about all this – I expect she will send someone to install a ruler and restore peace to the province."

"Oh, Nessa..." Elphaba whispered. She'd known for a while now that her sister had been thundering down a path that would only get her into trouble. She'd also known that there was nothing she could do about it. It still hurt to stand by and watch, though.

"She will be fine, Elphie," said Glinda comfortingly. "I'll make sure whoever is sent to Munchkinland will free her and take care of her. Perhaps I could even go myself to make sure she'll be all right."

Elphaba gave her a grateful look. "Thank you."

"She was my friend, too, you know." Glinda smiled wistfully. "Don't you ever wish that we were back at Shiz?"

Elphaba nodded. "All the time," she said truthfully.

"Life was so much simpler back then," her friend mused. "My biggest worries were whether or not my nail polish matched my new shoes and whether or not Fiyero would forget our four-month anniversary..." She trailed off, suddenly remembering the situation with Fiyero, but then she shook her head. "And whether or not my weird green roommate was going to spoil the sleepover I was having with Pfannee and Shenshen," she added, giggling as Elphaba produced a small grin.

"I know what you mean."

"Anyway," said Glinda, sobering, "is there any news? How was your trip with Horrible Morrible?"

Elphaba's grin vanished in an instant. First, she told her blonde friend all about the journey and how things had gone; and then she proceeded to tell Glinda about her plan with the tracking spell and her subsequent discovery that the Grimmerie was gone.

"Gone?" Glinda repeated sharply. "What do you mean, gone?"

"It's just... gone," said Elphaba, pacing up and down the room anxiously. "Someone must have taken it. I know it was there right before I left – I put it back there and put the protection spell back on... Morrible couldn't have taken it, she was with me all the time and even she can't transport herself from Munchkinland to the Emerald City and back while she was out of my sight."

"Can't anyone have found it accidentally?" asked Glinda. "Maybe one of your maids, when they were cleaning?"

Elphaba bit her lip. "Maybe," she said, "but I don't think so or they would have mentioned something to me. Knowing Morrible, she probably has spies all around the castle and one of them could have discovered its hiding place... Oz, if that book gets back to Morrible, who knows what she'll make me do?" she fretted, still pacing. "She can't read it, but she'll use Oscar as leverage to make me do whatever she wants. But I _can't_. Not even for him."

"Elphie, it will be okay!" Glinda said, rising to her feet and stopping her friend's pacing before pulling the former green girl into a hug. "I promise you, everything will be fine. We'll try harder to find out anything about either Oscar's location or the Grimmerie's. We'll find a way. Trust me."

"I hope so, Glin," said Elphaba softly. "I really hope so."

Glinda smiled, then sighed. "Oh, Elphie... I missed you so much. And I haven't completely forgiven you yet," she said with a stern look at her best friend, "but I did miss you, and I hope we can go back to... well, sort of normal, I guess."

Elphaba nodded happily. "I'd love that, Glin. I've missed you, too."

"Good." The blonde smirked a little. "You're going to have to make it up to me, though. Your first make-over will be tomorrow morning."

Elphaba laughed, feeling happy if only just for now. At least the air between her and Glinda was cleared. Perhaps this way, one step at a time, she could overcome all of her problems eventually. "I can't wait, Glin," she said and she was not even surprised to find that she meant it.

* * *

What she _was_ surprised about, once Glinda was actually giving her a make-over the next morning, was the subject her blonde friend brought up.

"Cassie," Glinda said solemnly, having gone back to a safer form of address for her friend, "I've been thinking a lot and I think... I think you should tell Fiyero the truth."

Elphaba whipped around so fast that the hairbrush flew out of Glinda's hand and the blonde squeaked in surprise.

" _What_?!" the former green girl demanded and her friend shrugged.

"Cassie... he loves you," she said simply. "And I know – I can tell – that he is still not over you. Not even a little bit. Neither was I," she admitted. "And once he told me how he'd felt about you all this time... it suddenly made sense. You know, I feel _really_ oblivious right now," she said, suddenly frowning. "There are so many things I never noticed. My boyfriend being in love with my best friend. My best friend being in love with my boyfriend. My best friend standing right beside me all this time when I thought she was dead..." She blushed. "I really am rather self-centred, aren't I, for not noticing all those things?"

"Glin, we were all trying very hard to keep those secrets from you," said Elphaba reasonably. "You weren't meant to recognise me and if you ever had found out about my loving Fiyero, I would have denied it until you'd let the subject drop. There wasn't much for you to see, anyway," she added and Glinda nodded.

"I know. Neither one of you ever let anything on." She sighed. "But that is why I think you should tell him now. Elphie – Cassie... I want you to be happy. I don't think I have ever seen you _truly_ happy. You came close at Shiz, I think, but after that, your life has been hell and even now, things aren't going the way any of us would like. It would do you good to have someone in your life to always have your back – someone who is more to you than just a friend." She looked at Elphaba solemnly. "You love him, and he loves you," she said. "Fiyero is a good man. A little brainless and he often lacks tact, but he's a good man," she added, making Elphaba chuckle weakly.

Glinda took the young witch's hands in her own and looked her in the eye. "He could make you happy," she said softly, "and you him. I don't want to stand in the way of that. I'm still mad at both of you, a little, but I don't want to see either of you unhappy and right now you both are. Besides, I think he has a right to know. You have no idea how betrayed and hurt I felt when you told me. That might be even worse for him – especially since you didn't tell him about your real identity even when he told you about his being in love with you!"

"Glin," Elphaba protested, "it's too dangerous –"

"Oh, shut it, Elphaba!" the blonde snapped. "There is nothing dangerous about telling Fiyero now that I already know. If either of us is going to slip up, it would sooner be me than him – not that I would," she said hastily, "but _if_. Do you know what I think?"

Elphaba blinked at her owlishly.

"I think you're scared," Glinda declared triumphantly. "And I don't think you're scared of anyone finding out and telling other people, either. I think you're scared of your own feelings for Fiyero, and of his feelings for you, and you're hiding behind the excuse of "it's too dangerous" so that you won't have to face your own fears. But like I said, I've been thinking about it and I really think that he deserves the truth, no matter how painful that will be for the both of you."

Elphaba bit her lip. "You're right," she said quietly. "I know you are, but Glin... he'd hate me. He told me at some point that he suspected it was me, in the beginning," she confided in the blonde, whose eyes widened in shock, "but that he did not believe that anymore because he thought I could never do such a thing to him. Telling him the truth... it would devastate him. I can't handle him hating me, Glinda," she said pleadingly. "I can't. I'd rather be just friends with him than have him never speak to me again."

Glinda sighed. "Oh, Elphie... of course he'll be mad, and hurt, but he'll get over it. He needs to know. Please."

"You're right," said Elphaba again, "but..." She trailed off.

"But nothing," said Glinda sternly. "You're going to tell him, Elphie. You owe him – and yourself – that much. Since when are you someone who runs away from her fears? You are Elphaba Thropp. I've never seen you do anything but face your fears head-on. Don't change now."

Elphaba took a deep breath, then nodded. "All right," she said quietly. "I'll tell him."

* * *

 **That is not a bad cliffy and yet I bet some of you are screaming in frustration right now, heheh. Don't worry, I'll try to update on time again! :P**

 **Also, I wrote this really sad one-shot and I'd love for you to check it out if you haven't already - it's called _The Broken One_.**


	23. 23

**In response to you the things you guys said about Glinda: I'm glad you found that realistic. I've always thought it a bit unfair that she'd get so mad at Elphaba, since she didn't actually consciously do anything wrong; but on the other hand, I think that anyone would get mad at first in such a situation. I also figured, however, that Elphaba is still Glinda's best friend and she wouldn't just throw that away.**

 **This chapter contains two big things and a cliffy... sorry about that! (Or, you know, not really. Heheh.)**

* * *

 **23.**

She went to Fiyero's rooms that afternoon, when she knew he did not have to work, and she knocked on the door. He opened it himself and smiled when he saw who it was. "Hey. Come in," he said, invitingly holding the door open further. She slowly walked into the room and he closed it behind her, looking around.

"Where's your shadow?"

She looked at him blankly and he grinned at her. "Your puppy. He seems to follow you everywhere."

"Oh! No, I've left him with Glinda," she said, looking around his rooms. They were quite similar to her own, although differently furnished and much messier – there were clothes strewn all over the floor and the furniture and the desk was covered in books and pieces of paper. "She adores him and he needed to get some exercise, so she offered to take him for a walk in the gardens while I came to see you."

"I see." He walked over to his sitting room and motioned for her to sit down before calling for a maid to get them something to drink. When he returned, he sat down in the chair opposite hers. "So... is this a visit with a purpose or were you just feeling lonesome? Either way, it's fine," he hurried to assure her. "You know I like having you around. It does get lonesome every now and then in this palace and I know you have a lot on your mind right now."

She bit her lip. "I... I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" he prodded gently and she swallowed. This was much harder than she'd thought it would be – and it had already been very hard when she'd imagined it.

"There is something I have to tell you," she said quietly. "And... I want you to know, before I do tell you, that I am really, really sorry. Yero... you'll never know just how sorry I really am. I didn't realise how badly I was hurting you, not really, and once I did it was too late and... and I was just scared. But I need to tell you now."

He laughed. "That sounds serious," he said, but when he realised that she was, in fact, deadly serious, he sobered. "You can tell me anything, Cass. You know that."

"Not Cass," she corrected him quietly, her voice barely even audible. She didn't look at him, instead staring intently down at her feet. "Fae."

He laughed again, a little nervously now. "What?"

Elphaba still didn't look up. "I'm not Cassadi Welther," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. "Cassadi Welther doesn't exist. I didn't grow up in Fliaan and almost everything I have told you about my home, my childhood, and my family so far is a lie. Cassadi was just a... a cover, because no-one could know my true identity."

He looked utterly confused now, hurt slowly creeping into his sapphire blue eyes as he seemed to realise what she was saying.

"I'm not Cassadi," she said again, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she furiously blinked them away. "I'm Elphaba."

He stared at her for a long time, so long that she thought he wasn't going to say anything at all.

"Wha- what do you mean, you're Elphaba?" he finally croaked. "You can't be Elphaba. Elphaba... Elphaba is dead."

"No," she whispered, still avoiding his gaze. "I'm not, I... I faked it. You were right. When you told me what you suspected, about me, in the beginning... you were completely right. The Wizard offered me a chance to start over and I took it... he helped me fake my death and he introduced me as his new pupil. It's me, Yero."

When he still did not say anything, she looked up. She could see all kinds of emotions fighting one another in his eyes – hurt, hope, sadness, relief, anger, confusion... and something she thought had to be love. There were also tears there, which she was astonished to see – she didn't think she had ever seen him cry before.

Then he set his jaw, his face hardening. "I can't believe this," he said, his voice almost a snarl. "How could you do this to me? To _us_?"

"Listen," she pleaded, knowing that it would most likely be even harder to explain this to him than it had been to explain it to Glinda. "It was too dangerous, Yero. You have to understand." She told him the same thing she had told Glinda – that she couldn't tell them because she had to put her own safety first this time, that she'd thought he hated her because he was the captain of the Gale Force, and that she had wanted to leave her past behind her.

"I told you how I felt," he said, now sounding a little incredulous. He rose to his feet and started pacing. "I told you how I felt about you... that I loved you." She cringed, because he said "loved" and not "love" and she thought she already knew what that meant.

"And yet you didn't say anything," he continued. "I opened up to you, I told you things I've never told anyone before – I told you how hurt I was, how hard it had been on me, how horrible it was... and you didn't tell me. You let me rant on and on about my heartache over your death and you didn't tell me that you were sitting right there in front of me."

"I'm sorry," she said, but she knew it would not be enough. It hadn't been last time and it wouldn't be now. What she had done went far beyond what an apology could fix. "I really am. You have no idea how hard it was for me not to say anything, but I just... I couldn't."

"Of course you could." His voice was cold and she knew by looking at him that he had switched off most of his emotions, unprepared to deal with them right now. She understood that it was probably easier for him to focus on his anger, rather than the rest, at this moment. She also understood that that meant he wasn't going to forgive her now – or anywhere in the near future, probably. He was too hurt and overwhelmed by all this.

"If you really wanted to," he spat, "you could have told me."

She noticed that he had not said her name once since her revelation – he usually called her "Fae" – or "Cass", for the past few months – fairly often, but he was keeping his voice cool and he did not say her name. She suspected that for him, saying her name would be admitting that she was telling the truth and he wasn't ready to face the truth yet.

Even though she understood, however, his insinuations still made her angry.

"Are you implying I was purposefully trying to hurt you by not telling you?" she demanded.

His voice was still cold. "Maybe."

She drew herself up to her full height, eyes blazing. "How _dare_ you," she hissed. "I can understand that you are upset and hurt, Fiyero. Believe me – I know. But you have no idea whatsoever of how hard it has been for me to keep this secret. I know you're hurt, but so am I and I will not stand here and let you accuse me of not caring about your or Glinda's feelings, because you two have been on my mind every single minute of every single day for the past four months. You have no idea how many nights I have cried myself to sleep over not being able to tell you, or how lonely I have felt all this time, or how guilty!"

With that, she turned around and stomped out of the room, leaving him to think her words over by himself. He'd need some time to process everything. She didn't blame him for that. She only blamed him for what he said – even though perhaps her temper had gotten a little out of hand.

It'd be fine, though, she tried to tell herself as she returned to her rooms and fell down in an arm chair as Cheri hurried off to fetch her some tea. Eventually, Fiyero would forgive her and they would be able to move forward somehow.

Or, well, at least she hoped so.

* * *

"Well, well, well," Madame Morrible greeted Elphaba when the princess came into the throne room. The woman had a smug look on her face that instantly alarmed the former green girl, but she did not let it show as she walked further into the room. When she saw what Morrible was holding, however, her stomach dropped.

The Grimmerie.

"Would you believe it was found in your rooms?" the woman said gleefully, clearly enjoying this. "How could it possibly have gotten there?"

Elphaba remained frozen in place, her back straight and her hands clenched to fists, but Morrible hardly even noticed. She cackled, throwing her head back.

"Come here, dearie," she said, her eyes gleaming. "I want you to perform a spell for me."

"What kind of spell?" asked Elphaba, careful to keep her voice steady.

Morrible's smirk did not reassure the young witch in the slightest. "Come here, Miss Elphaba, and I'll show you."

Slowly, Elphaba approached the old hag, who held out the book and pointed at the spell on the right page. "This spell," she said, "is for torture, which could be used on people who start working against me in the future."

Elphaba suddenly felt a little sick to her stomach.

"This one," Morrible turned a few pages, "can strike a person blind."

She did not even look up from the book when Elphaba took a few steps backwards, repulsed; instead, she continued, "This spell here allows the person who casts it to summon the dead. Not their spirits, mind you – their bodies."

The princess shuddered, backing away a little further as she hugged herself. There was no way anything good could come out of this.

Morrible raised her head, her darkly gleaming eyes boring into Elphaba's, and the girl self-consciously tucked a chestnut-coloured curl behind her ear. When Morrible didn't say anything, Elphaba asked, "What?"

The woman tapped a finger on the page that was lying open in front of her. "You will cast this spell for me, dearie." _Or else Oscar dies and I expose you for who you really are._ Morrible didn't say it, but the princess knew that was what she had in mind. She'd been warned often enough by now.

She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and then strode over to Morrible again and bent over the Grimmerie. The moment she saw the spell the Press Secretary was looking at, however, her eyes widened and she started shaking her head.

"No," she declared. "No. I won't do that."

"Oh, yes, you will, dearie." Morrible smiled icily. "You will perform this spell and as a personal favour to you, I'll let you live, too – as long as you and that pathetic father of yours disappear to a corner of Oz where I will never have to see you again."

"How do I know you won't just dispose of me once I've done this?" Elphaba demanded. "If I perform this spell, you won't need me anymore. What would keep you from killing me on the spot?"

Morrible shrugged. "Not much," she said. "Just the fact that I like you. You've got spirit, Miss Elphaba. You're annoying and you let silly valuesstand in the way of ambition, but I do like you. I don't take pleasure in killing people, no matter what you might think. I only do it when it is absolutely necessary. As long as you won't stand in my way, I'll leave you alone. You have my word."

Elphaba stared at the woman and then down at the page in the Grimmerie again, slowly feeling herself growing cold all over. This spell... this spell would transfer her own magical powers to Morrible.

She needed to find a way out of this... but she wasn't sure there was one. Once she cast this spell, Morrible's powers would grow to the point where she would be able to rule Oz with an iron fist and no-one would be a match for her. She couldn't do that, no matter the cost.

"Think about it," said Morrible, smirking, as she took the Grimmerie and tucked it safely under her arm. "I will want your definitive answer soon."


	24. 24

**I'm currently trying out my Shiz Elphaba cosplay, so there's green everywhere xD. I'm very excited for Elfia in two weeks! (If you want to see pictures, they're on my Twitter!)**

 **Luna the Zekrom: My biggest worry is becoming predictable, so I was really happy with your review!**

 **BooksaremyBestbuddies: I only know of one reviewer who continuously has to grab for an asthma inhaler whilst reading my stories, so yes, I know it's you :P.**

* * *

 **24.**

Princess Cassadi of Oz did not have a good day after her conversation with the Press Secretary. All day long, Madame Morrible kept popping up everywhere to ask her if she had made her decision yet; and every time, Elphaba told her the same thing – that she would rather die than transfer her powers over to the old hag. The woman did not give up, however, and kept appearing at places where Elphaba was. It was driving the young witch crazy.

Apart from that, there was Fiyero. Somehow, he seemed to have convinced himself of the fact that she had been lying and he was now giving her the silent treatment. The only thing he'd said to her all day was that he would not fall for her ridiculous stories and that he had expected better of her than to mock the things he had told her about in confidence in such a horrible way. She'd tried to reason with him, insisting that she had been telling the truth and that she understood he was mad and hurt, but that she just wanted him to talk about it; but he had merely sneered at her and walked off. Ever since then, he had not said a word to her. All she got when she passed him in the hallways was a cold glare and a huff.

She would love to talk to Glinda about this, but the blonde had not been in her rooms when Elphaba had stopped by and no-one seemed to know where she was until she finally found a maid who could tell her that Lady Glinda was supposed to be in several different meetings all day long to discuss the present situation in Munchkinland. Elphaba realised that it had been a while since she had felt this lonely.

When Morrible approached her again straight after dinner, Elphaba snapped.

"For Oz's sake, Morrible, stop bothering me!" she yelled, causing the servants clearing the table to look up in shock. "I am never going to do as you ask, okay? I would sooner _die_ than perform that spell, so you might as well drop it!"

Morrible gripped the girl's upper arm so tightly that Elphaba gasped. "You do realise what happens if you say no, don't you, dearie?" she asked, her voice low and threatening. "Think very carefully about what you are saying. Don't think I wouldn't do it," she added, watching Elphaba closely. "I _want_ your power, but I don't _need_ it. If you refuse to perform that spell, I won't have your power; but if I then dispose of you, I'll still be the most powerful person in Oz and that is all that really matters to me, anyway. Elphaba," she said, her voice so quiet that no-one else in the room could hear, "do you really want me to murder your father? Should I perhaps order your sister executed – is that what it would take for you to perform the spell? Do you want me to kill Glinda, or Fiyero?"

Elphaba stood frozen, her breaths coming in fast, shallow gasps, and Morrible smirked.

"Sleep on it," she advised the young witch. "Whatever you decide tomorrow will decide the fate of your family and friends as well."

Elphaba hardly slept that night. Hero, apparently sensing her mood, jumped onto the bed with her and licked her cheek; and she hugged him, turning onto her side and wondering what to do now. She couldn't put her friends and family in danger... but if she gave up her powers to Morrible, wouldn't she be doing just that? She didn't have the illusion that Morrible would actually leave them all alone and rule Oz in a way that was even remotely good. Sooner or later, the hag would take advantage of the people – _all_ the people – and everything Elphaba had achieved with the Wizard so far regarding Oz's policies would be undone.

When Vana came to wake her the next morning, she was already up, sitting on the edge of her bed and staring ahead without really seeing anything. The maid wordlessly helped her to the bathroom to freshen up and laid out a dress for her to wear that day. When Elphaba saw it, she frowned.

"Black?"

She hadn't worn black since she had changed her identity and she was surprised to see it now.

"Yes, Your Highness," said Vana quietly. "Madame Morrible's orders. She wanted you to be dressed in mourning."

Elphaba suddenly grew cold all over. "What happened?" she demanded. "Who died? Is it my father?"

Vana shook her head. "No, Your Highness, there has not been news of your father yet," she said. She hesitated, then said, "It's the former governor of Munchkinland. Nessarose Thropp. She has been executed."

* * *

When Elphaba appeared in the throne room, utterly dazed and dressed all in black, Glinda approached her instantly and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"I'm so sorry, Cassie," she whispered, sounding near tears herself. "I'm so sorry about... about Nessa. I should have stayed in Munchkinland, I should have tried to help her..."

Elphaba shook her head. "It's not your fault," she croaked. "It's just..." She trailed off and Glinda hugged her even tighter.

"I know." She pulled away, her eyes dark. "And maybe it's not my fault," she said, "but I know whose it is."

Elphaba looked at her questioningly and Glinda said softly, "Morrible ordered her death, Cassadi."

The former green girl stared at her and Glinda nodded. "I'm sure," she said. "Morrible gave the order for the Munchkin people to execute Nessa."

"To warn me," whispered Elphaba. "To warn me what would happen if I said no again." It was all clear now, suddenly. It was definitely something the woman would do.

"If you said no?" Glinda asked, puzzled. "To what?"

Elphaba took a deep breath, attempting to push her grief aside and think clearly. "She... she has the Grimmerie," she said, looking at Glinda, "and she wants me to perform a spell from it to transfer my magical powers to her."

The blonde gasped. "You can't!"

"I know I can't," snapped Elphaba, "but what do you want me to do? If I don't do it, she'll expose me, kill Oscar, and probably go after you and Fiyero as well!"

Glinda went quiet, thinking about this.

"Then we have to expose her first," she said finally. "I'll tell the people all about her – no, _we_ will tell the people all about her. We'll tell them she ordered Nessa dead, that she kidnapped Oscar and blackmailed you into helping her... we'll tell her everything."

"Glin, they'll never believe us," Elphaba said pleadingly. "They'll only turn against us, and I don't care about me, but I can't let them turn on you!"

Glinda rolled her eyes. "Oh, Cassie, not this again!" She grabbed Elphaba's arms. "Listen to me. I need you to stop protecting me, okay? Start worrying about yourself. I thought you said you were going to put your own safety first for a change."

"And look where that got me!" Elphaba said, gesturing towards herself. "I spent months pretending to be someone I'm not, I lied to my best friends... I can't really say putting my own safety first was a very pleasant experience, Glinda!"

"Lady Glinda, Princess Cassadi," a steward addressed them, "are you ready? The people are already here – you will need to appear on the balcony in a few minutes."

"Glinda, listen," whispered Elphaba urgently when he had left. "I don't want you to say anything, but I will. I have nothing to lose now – if I don't do this, Morrible will expose me, anyway."

"What about Fiyero?" Glinda hissed. "He'll kill you if you get yourself in trouble!"

"He won't," said Elphaba simply. "I told him and I was right. He hates me."

Glinda's eyes widened. "Cassie... no. I'm sure that's not true," she tried, but Elphaba shook her head.

" _Someone_ has to do it," she insisted, "and it can't be you. I'll expose Morrible. There's a chance the people might believe me."

"And if they don't?"

Elphaba shrugged. "Then at least I stayed alive and out of Southstairs a couple of months longer than I thought I would have," she said with a wry smile.

"What about me?" asked Glinda, her voice breaking. "Would you make me lose my best friend all over again?"

The princess faltered.

"You can't, Elphaba," said Glinda and the fact that she used Elphaba's real name told the former green girl how serious her friend was. "We're in this together. We'll do this together. Okay?"

"Okay," Elphaba whispered and the blonde squeezed her hand.

"It will be fine."

The steward came back to usher them over to the balcony and they stood there, still holding hands. Elphaba could feel her heart pounding in her throat. She glanced over her shoulder. Morrible was talking to an official; she flashed Elphaba a smirk when she saw her looking. Behind Morrible were Vana and Cheri with some of the other maids, all of them looking nervous, sensing the tension in the air. Cheri was cradling Hero, who also seemed unsettled – he kept trying to squirm out of her grip.

On Morrible's other side stood Fiyero and Elphaba stared at him, trying to drink him in one last time before stepping out. She was fairly certain she wouldn't get a chance to see him again after she did this. When he caught her gaze, she held her breath; but then his face hardened and he looked away, and she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

It felt like it all happened so much slower and so much faster than it really did at the same time. They stepped out onto the balcony. She was aware of Glinda squeezing her hand tightly. Morrible cleared her throat and started telling the people about Nessarose's unfortunate death. And then, before she knew it, Elphaba had stepped forward and blurted, "Madame Morrible ordered Nessarose Thropp's execution!" and the people started muttering in shock even as Morrible turned her head to stare, wide-eyed, at Elphaba.

She ploughed on, supported by Glinda. She told the people that Nessa had been a terrible governor, but that she had been imprisoned and no longer endangered anyone and that Morrible had ordered her execution nonetheless. She told the people what Morrible had told her about Oscar. She told them everything except her true identity, with Glinda supporting her claims, and she could tell that the Ozians were thinking about what she said by the fleeting, scared glances they cast in Morrible's direction.

"She hardly even has any power," Glinda said, pointing at the old hag. "She made Princess Cassadi perform magic for her, threatening to kill the Wizard if she refused. Madame Morrible is evil and she needs to be stopped!"

Everyone was talking at once now, pointing at Morrible and heatedly chattering, obviously confused. Morrible's face had slowly grown to be dark red, almost purple, making it look like she was about to explode.

"Arrest her!" Glinda commanded – a shot in the dark, Elphaba knew, but one she had to try. "Arrest her and find out where she is keeping the Wizard!"

The Gale Force hesitated – one of them taking a step forward, then faltering when his colleagues didn't follow; but then Fiyero was suddenly there, ordering, "Do as she says!", and the guards moved towards Morrible. Elphaba felt an immense rush of gratitude for the prince. At least he would still help them with this.

"No!" Morrible shrieked, eyes burning as she raised her hands. Thunder rumbled, dark clouds came rolling in, and lightning flashed; and the people down in the square shrieked. The woman glared at Elphaba. "You!"

"Yes, me," she replied calmly. "Give up, Morrible. We won." Perhaps that was a little premature, but she didn't really care. She felt flushed with excitement. She couldn't believe this actually seemed to be working so far.

"People of Oz," Morrible shouted, stepping forward and leaning over the balustrade to avoid the Gale Force soldiers, "things are not as they seem! Your princess here," she indicated Elphaba, "is not the person you thought she was!"

"Seize her!" Glinda cried, a note of panic in her voice, but Morrible's shouting drowned her out.

"Your princess," the old hag yelled, "is the Wicked Witch of the West!"

More thunder and more lightning, as if to emphasise her point – which, Elphaba suspected, was probably exactly what the hag was doing, given her affinity with weather magic. It was a little overdramatic, in the young witch's opinion, but she could not deny that it was effective. _She_ was hardly surprised – she'd been expecting this ever since she and Glinda had started talking – but the people definitely were. They were obviously extremely confused by now and Glinda shrieked again, " _Seize her_ , Oz dammit!", but everyone was now staring at Elphaba. Morrible was still pointing at the princess, a smirk on her face, and her lips were moving.

"She's chanting a spell!" one of the guards cried and his colleagues advanced on Morrible again, intending to grab her. She raised her voice, finishing the spell; and a collective gasp went through the crowd.

Elphaba did not need to look down to know that her disguise had been lifted.

* * *

 **STOP! CLIFFY TIME! *dances happily***


	25. 25

**A quick update, then, because this one is a very short chapter and because so many of you begged me to update early. Regular updates again from now on, though - next one Sunday night :).**

 **I re-wrote this chapter many times and in many ways, but this is what I eventually decided on. Some of you guessed this would happen.**

 **(Also, the reason I killed Nessa - again - is because she's just very killable. Is that a word? It's just - her death is sad and has impact, but it's usually not heart-breaking like Glinda, Elphaba, or Fiyero's death would be.)**

* * *

 **25.**

"It's the Witch!" a woman screamed and as if that was their cue, the Ozians all started screaming and running around in an attempt to get away, utterly panicked by the sight of the Wicked Witch of the West standing on their balcony, posing as their princess. Morrible threw her head back and cackled. Glinda swore under her breath.

"Lies!" Morrible shouted at the people below, hanging so far over the balcony balustrade that she nearly toppled off. "Everything they have been telling you was a lie! I am your regent, and I will protect you from the Witch!"

With that, she turned to Elphaba, her palm outstretched. Glinda shrieked as lightning shot out of Morrible's hand; but before it could hit Elphaba, the green girl raised her arms instinctively, effectively sending the lightning back to Morrible, who could only just leap out of the way before it hit her. The lightning struck a part of the palace instead, causing large stones to come crumbling down from the wall. Fiyero was shouting at the Gale Force soldiers, who, on his command, leapt forward and forced Morrible's arms behind her back, poking a gun between her shoulder blades. Two other guards advanced on Elphaba, who did not protest as her arms were forced behind her back as well.

"Listen!" Glinda screeched, stomping her foot like she had so often done back at Shiz when she had been frustrated. "For Oz's sake, I'm Glinda the Good, you're supposed to _listen_ to me, so just _shut up_ and let me explain!"

Elphaba could not help but snigger despite herself – it was just such a _Galinda_ thing to do – but the Ozians did slowly quiet down at Glinda's words, although they kept on muttering and whispering, the looks on their faces terrified.

"You know better than to listen to this woman without thinking for yourselves!" Glinda scolded, glaring at the people. "She can do magic – who says she did not just make Cassadi look like the Witch? Did you think the Witch was a young girl? Not to mention the fact that the Witch's death was announced months ago!"

More muttering. "Lady Glinda has a point," a woman said loudly. "The Witch was old and ugly, and His Ozness told us all that she is dead!"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow at that, but did not protest Glinda's claims. She understood why her friend was doing this.

"Madame Morrible just turned the princess's skin green and her hair black," Glinda continued, "and you instantly disregard her, everything she stands for, and everything she has done for you? You start shouting for her capture, like blind sheep, because you suddenly believe her to be an enemy who has not only been dead for months, but would also never dare set foot in the Emerald Palace? All because that is what one woman," she gestured towards Morrible, "is screaming at you even as she is being held back by Gale Force guards. Is your loyalty to our crown princess that strong? Do you doubt your government – not just our crown princess, but also our Wonderful Wizard, our Captain of the Guard, _me_ , and everyone else who has confirmed the death of the Wicked Witch – to the point where you accuse us of having lied about this great enemy of Oz being dead? Is that what you are saying? Is that what you think?"

The people muttered again, obviously embarrassed now. They were quieter and no-one spoke up or argued with Glinda.

Elphaba knew, just like Glinda had to, that this was the safe thing to do. The blonde apparently did not think the Ozians were ready to accept the truth about Elphaba – about their precious Wicked Witch of the West, the enemy that had united all of them – and the green girl agreed. If Glinda told them the truth, they would only turn on her, too – on both of them – and then they would have achieved nothing. They would both end up in Southstairs and Morrible would take over. Glinda could not let that happen and even though it hurt Elphaba to hear her friend calling her a wicked witch and saying these things about her, even though it made her heart ache that there would now never be a chance of her name being cleared, she understood and she stood by Glinda's decision. She'd rather be Cassadi Welther for the rest of her life than spend said life in Southstairs, especially if she were to drag Glinda down with her.

Besides, it wouldn't be so bad to keep on pretending once Morrible was out of the way, especially not if Oscar was still alive and could come back. Plus she had Glinda now. She knew the truth and even if she hadn't forgiven the green girl yet, Elphaba was confident that she would, eventually. Glinda had too big a heart to be angry with someone for long, especially if that someone was her best friend.

She risked a glance at Fiyero. He looked a little shaken and he was watching her, but the moment he caught her looking, he quickly looked away. She did not think _he_ would ever be able to forgive her, but she took comfort in the thought that if he had wanted to betray her, he would have done so already. Even if he did hate her now and never spoke to her again, he would never condemn her – and most definitely not Glinda – to a life in Southstairs.

"Shame on you," Glinda was saying sternly to the people, as if they were a bunch of children that needed scolding. It was perhaps a little bit over the top, but Glinda had always had a dramatic streak. Maybe it would help this time. As long as her friend managed to talk her out of this sticky situation, Elphaba did not care how Glinda did it.

"No!" Morrible shrieked again, wrestling against the guards holding her. "They are lying! _Lying_!"

The noise in the square was even louder than before now. She could not even hear what the Gale Force soldiers holding her were saying over the buzz of the crowd, but she could tell that they were just as baffled by all these developments as the Ozians down below were. No-one seemed to be sure what to believe anymore, but Elphaba was glad they at least considered the possibility of Glinda's words and did not turn the blonde down immediately.

"Think," Glinda advised the people. "Think for yourselves. What seems more likely? That the Wicked Witch of the West is actually a young girl who has been living under the Wonderful Wizard's nose for months, not to mention under the noses of a whole lot of advisors and officials," she raised her eyebrows at said advisors and officials, who were huddled together on the square below, "without hurting you or doing anything but good for Oz; or that Madame Morrible is lying and has an agenda of her own?" She stepped up next to Elphaba, motioning for the guards to release her. They did and the blonde girl laid a hand on Elphaba's shoulder. "I trust Cassie completely," she declared. "She has been nothing but an amazing friend to me and I stand for her one hundred percent."

Elphaba could sense that the balance was slowly tipping, with more and more people inclined to believe the beautiful blonde's words, but she did not dare think that it was over yet. She turned out to be right.

Suddenly, with a triumphant gasp, Morrible broke free from the men holding her. "I will get you, dearie!" she cried, making Glinda and a few others jump. She raised her hand once more.

Glinda leapt aside, cursing, and Elphaba managed to protect herself from Morrible's powers just in time by producing a magical shield. The old hag hissed in frustration and a ripple of gasps went through the Ozians down below. Glinda and Fiyero were both shouting at the Gale Force, but as they attempted to grab Morrible again, she idly flicked her wrist, causing a harsh wind to brush them aside as easily as one might brush aside a fly. She struck at Elphaba again.

Again, Elphaba successfully deflected the lightning the older woman sent her way; but Morrible had counted on that. Even as Elphaba protected herself from the first strike of lightning, Morrible sent a heavy gust of wind in the direction of the young witch, sending her flying over the balustrade on the other side of the balcony.

It all happened incredibly fast. One moment, Elphaba was standing there, blocking Morrible's magic; and the next, she found herself hurtling backwards, crashing against the balustrade. She tried to maintain her balance or, if nothing else, to grab something to hold on to, but there was nothing. She toppled over the edge and down towards the square, where the people were watching in awed shock. Someone – she supposed a Gale Force soldier – made a grab for her, but missed. Glinda was screaming even as she was bent over the balustrade, watching her best friend fall. There was wind, there was a surge of magic shooting through her, and then there was darkness.

The last thing she was aware of was that at last, the entire square had fallen silent.

* * *

 **Like I said, it was a short chapter, but this cliffy opportunity was too good to pass up. *cackles***


	26. 26

**Your reviews made me laugh. Thanks for that :D. I'm glad I'm still managing to uphold my title!**

 **Here you go, then - the chapter most of you have been waiting for! (I hope all of you survived the wait.)**

* * *

 **26.**

When Elphaba opened her eyes, she didn't instantly recognise her surroundings. It was dark and she was lying in what appeared to be a soft bed, covered with fluffy blankets. Only then did she realise that this was, in fact, her own room in the Palace. Hero was asleep on the bed at her feet and as she raised her hand, she realised that she was still green.

She pushed herself up and grimaced in pain. Her entire body was aching all over, but she wasn't sure what had happened. She remembered blocking Morrible's magic and then, somehow, she'd flown backwards and off the balcony... and now she was here. What had happened to her after she fell? Where was Glinda, and where was everyone else? What had happened to Morrible?

She sat up straighter when she heard the door opening in the foyer attached to her bedroom. There was a hushed conversation – she recognised once voice as Vana's and the other as Fiyero's. She bit her lip. He was probably here to yell at her, or something. She didn't want to see him – she didn't think she could take his anger and hurt on top of everything else right now. She curled up on her side again, her back towards the door. Maybe if he thought she was still unconscious – or asleep; she still didn't really know what had happened to her, exactly – he might leave her alone.

What happened when he finally came into the room and approached the bed, however, caused her to freeze in shock.

He stroked her hair and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Fae."

Her heart was hammering in her chest and she quickly turned around to face him, only realising when she saw the wide-eyed look on his face that she just gave him a heart attack because he'd thought she'd still been unconscious. "You are?" she asked incredulously.

"Fae!" he exclaimed, obviously shaken by her sudden movement. "You're awake!" She could only blink at him before he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, his body shaking a little. "Oh, thank Oz, you're awake! We weren't sure what exactly happened and if you'd be okay... _are_ you okay?"

"I think so," she said. "I'm a little sore, but that's all."

He pulled away to look her over, but she wasn't really interested in her physical well-being at the moment – she felt fine and the story of what had happened could wait. Right now, she wanted to know about his feelings for her.

"Fiyero," she said impatiently when he continued to inspect her for hidden injuries. "What were you saying?"

He stilled, finally looking her in the eye. "I was saying... that I'm sorry," he said, solemnly meeting her gaze. "For the way I reacted to what you told me, I mean. It was... insensitive and stupid and I was just..."

"...completely right," she finished for him. "I can't blame you for that, Yero. I hoped you would understand, but I know I caused you a lot of pain and you have every right to be angry and upset with me."

"It was easier," he admitted. "It was easier to be mad at you than to think about what you'd told me and realise the full implications of it... it was easier to deny it, too. But then Morrible lifted your disguise and then I _had_ to face the truth. And when you fell..." He shuddered. "I thought you were going to die and all I could think was that if you did, I would never be able to apologise for treating you the way I did." He swallowed. "After all this time I spent looking for you, dreaming and hoping... I thought I'd lost you once and... and now I almost lost you again, with you thinking I was mad at you... and I still hadn't told you how I felt."

"You did tell me," she reminded him. "That's... that's kind of what made me freak out in the first place – why I didn't tell you sooner. After Glinda found out, I _wanted_ to tell you, but I panicked after our conversation and I... just... couldn't."

"I understand," he assured her, taking her hand in his. He didn't even seem to be aware that he was doing it, but Elphaba held her breath when he touched her like that. It reminded her of the times he had kissed her when she was still Cassadi – always on the cheek, or the forehead, or that one time on the corner of her mouth; but even then, there had been something behind those kisses. The way he was touching her now was somehow similar and yet so very different. There was no hesitation this time, no uncertainty. This was just so much... more.

"You don't have to explain," he said. "I should have understood the first time. You could have done things differently, yes, but it does not matter now. What matters is that you're here." He shifted, taking both her hands in his own. "I told Cassadi how I felt," he said, "but somehow, that doesn't feel the same. I'd like to tell _you_." He met her gaze. "I love you, Elphaba."

It was strange. She had been longing to hear those words from him for so long – even longer than she was willing to admit – but there had always been fear underneath. Glinda had been right: she was scared, both of her feelings for him and of his feelings for her, and in every daydream she'd ever had about Fiyero telling her he loved her, there was this sense of panic lurking beneath the surface.

That feeling, however, was nowhere to be found now. She looked into his sapphire blue eyes, her hands still in his and his words still echoing in her ears, and there was really only one thing she could do.

She kept her eyes locked with his and said, "I love you, too."

His face lit up in a way she had never seen before, not even back at Shiz – a way that made the lines in his face and the weary look in his eyes that had developed over the past years disappear completely. His hand slid up her arm to cup her cheek and she melted into his arms as he captured her lips with his own.

It was her first kiss. Of course, that could be why it felt so wonderful; but she suspected that even if she had kissed a thousand men all over Oz before now, this would still be the best kiss of them all. It was amazing because this was _Fiyero_ , and he was holding her in his arms now like she was something fragile that needed to be protected, something precious that he did not want to lose, and she loved him and he loved her. It was a kiss filled with years of hope and desire and longing, passionate and fierce; and when they broke apart, Fiyero rested his forehead against hers, a brilliant smile lighting up his face as he traced her features with his finger.

"I still can't believe you're really here," he admitted, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned with his back against the headboard of the bed and tugged her into his arms so that she was curled up with her back against his chest and he could rest his chin on her shoulder. "I couldn't really believe it before... it hurt too much, but it was also a way of protecting myself. I didn't want to get my hopes up because I couldn't bear them being dashed again."

She could not help but smile a little. Not just because he was here and he loved her, although that was certainly part of it; but because his reasoning was so very similar to her own. They were much more alike than either of them would ever be willing to admit.

"And then Morrible lifted those... spells, I suppose they were... that gave you the appearance of Cassadi and then I _had_ to believe it." He laughed a bit ruefully. "I suppose I didn't respond too well to all of this. It was a bit of a shock."

"I already told you," she said in mild exasperation, "stop apologising. I get it. I don't blame you. If you can forgive me for lying to you for so long, I can definitely forgive you for being mad at me for it."

"Of course I forgive you," he said quietly. "Even when I was mad at you... no, even back at Shiz, when you'd just left, I already realised that no matter what happened, no matter what you would do or become while you were gone, I would forgive you pretty much anything in the end. Because... well, because I love you, brainless as it may sound."

"Not brainless," she corrected him. "Impossible, incredible, and unbelievable – and a little sappy," she added teasingly, "but not brainless."

Before he could reply, they could hear the door open again and moments later, Glinda slipped into the room, smiling widely when she saw Elphaba. "Oh, Elphie, I'm so glad you're okay! And I see you and Fiyero had a talk?" she added, raising her eyebrows at the prince.

Elphaba flushed. "Glin, I..."

"Don't you dare apologise," Glinda warned her. "I knew all of this, remember? I don't mind... well, maybe I do, I'm not sure, but... I won't stand in your way," she said firmly, "and I certainly don't want you to hold back around me. As long as you don't stick your tongues down each other's throat in my presence, I'm fine."

Elphaba flushed even brighter and Glinda giggled at her. "Oh, Elphie, I really missed that colour on you," she said, giggling again at the face her friend made. She quickly hugged the green girl. "It's going to have to go again soon, though – I've been telling everyone I'm working on a way to get you back to "normal"." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell them the truth, I really did, but I didn't think they'd accept it."

"They probably wouldn't have," said Elphaba. "It's okay, I understand." She smiled. "Being Cassadi won't be half as bad as before, anyway, as long as you and Fiyero know the truth."

Glinda returned the smile. "Good. Oz, I still can't believe you didn't die!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "How did you know what to do when you fell? Or was it an accident, you using your magic like that? I swear to Oz, I nearly fainted, I was so scared!"

"I used my magic?" Elphaba asked, blinking. She didn't really remember much of what had happened between her falling and her waking up in her room. It had all gone so quickly.

Glinda nodded. "You were falling all the way down, Elphie, and I was absolutely certain that you were going to die, but then you just... slowed down at the last possible moment. You slowed down in the air and then you only fell the final metre or so – it looked very strange. I suppose it was your magic automatically kicking in to save you."

"Yeah," Elphaba muttered, bemused. "I suppose so." It wouldn't be the first time, but it always left her feeling a little dazed.

Glinda's face brightened. "Oh, before I forget, I brought you some food!" She went back into the foyer and came back carrying a tray, which she placed on the small table beside Elphaba's bed. "I came to see you a few times since this morning, hoping to see you awake, but Fiyero told me you'd been unconscious all day long."

Elphaba turned incredulous eyes on Fiyero. "You've been here all day?!"

"Not all day," he said. "I had to attend some meetings about... well, about you, and about Morrible... but I've been here most of the time, yes. Anytime I could."

She could only stare at him.

"I brought something else for you, too," said Glinda. She held the Grimmerie out to her friend. "Perform the tracking spell, Elphie," she said softly. "We'll find Oscar and he will confirm our story. We can lock Morrible up for good."

Elphaba stared at the book and then up at Glinda.

"Go on," the blonde urged her.

"Listen, Fae," said Fiyero, shifting away from her so that he could better look her in the eye. "Morrible has been arrested and locked up for now, but we need more proof for it to stay that way – and to get you out of here. We need Oscar's testimony or Morrible might just go free, and if she manages to convince the people after all, you might end up in Southstairs instead of her!"

Elphaba said sombrely, "Maybe I deserve to end up in Southstairs," but Glinda slapped her arm at that and Fiyero gave her a scowl.

"Don't be stupid, Elphie," Glinda sniffed. "And besides," she gave Fiyero an impish grin, "you wouldn't want Fiyero to attempt to rule the Vinkus from a prison cell, would you? I'm thinking that would be quite difficult."

Fiyero smirked.

"It'd be hard to socialise from Southstairs, too," the blonde continued casually, studying her nails. "And, you know, I'd have a hard time keeping my nails tidy and my hair beautiful, and shopping would be an absolute disaster... you wouldn't really do that to us, would you, Elphie?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "You two are absolutely ridiculous!" she exclaimed, pretending to be exasperated to hide her fear that they were being serious.

"Yes," Glinda agreed. She tapped the Grimmerie with one long fingernail. "Now cast the spell."

Elphaba shook her head, but she did bend over the book and started looking for the tracking spell she knew had to be in here. The tracking spell she was hoping would fix everything.


	27. 27

**No, guys, Morrible is not going to die. There are three more chapters to go after this, two and an epilogue.**

 **Sarah, thanks for your review - and you'll get a virtual reward, too, because you're the 400th reviewer! :) Virtual cake for you!**

* * *

 **27.**

It took Elphaba about ten minutes to locate a tracking spell and her heartbeat sped up in excitement when she found it. "Stand back," she ordered Glinda and Fiyero, who both retreated as close to the walls of the room as they could get, with Glinda cradling a now awake, but drowsy Hero in her arms. Elphaba crossed her legs and laid the book in her lap, letting her hands hover above the pages. " _Ereh Nah Requaero Hominem Ah Ereh_ ," she chanted, closing her eyes when she felt her own magic mingle with that of the Grimmerie. " _Invenio Requaero Tum Dux Dirigo Ahtem._ "

She opened one eye. Nothing was happening.

Glinda was looking around apprehensively, also searching for any effect the spell might have had. "Did it work?"

Elphaba shook her head. "I don't think so." She closed her eyes again, concentrating harder, and she cast the spell once more.

On the third attempt, just when she was about to give up and hurl the book across the room in frustration, she could feel her fingertips prickling with magic. This time when she opened her eyes, her hands were glowing. She watched, transfixed, as the glow seemed to flow out of her fingers and it formed a small ball of light, about the size of her palm, right in front of her.

"Wow," Fiyero breathed and Glinda grinned widely.

"You did it, Elphie!"

The light started moving and Elphaba looked at Glinda quickly. "Follow it."

The blonde blinked. "Huh?"

"It will lead you to Oscar," the dark-haired witch explained quickly, "but you can't lose sight of it. I shouldn't go, for obvious reasons," she said, indicating her still-green skin. "You have to follow it, Glin. Find him. Make sure he's okay. It's up to you now."

Glinda nodded. "I will, Elphie. I promise." She cast a glance at the light, then put Hero down and bent down to hug her friend tightly for a moment. "Don't do anything rash, okay? Just stay here until I get back." She gave Fiyero a stern look. "You keep an eye on her, understood?"

"Yes, Mummy," said the prince teasingly and Glinda poked out her tongue at him before turning around with a swish of her skirts and hurrying out of the room, following the ball of light.

Elphaba sighed, pushing the Grimmerie aside and leaning her head back against the wall behind her. "And now we wait." Hero jumped onto the bed beside her again and she scratched his ears absently.

Fiyero sat down on her other side again. "I've been wanting to tell you... Fae, I'm really sorry about Nessa."

She shook her head. "Please don't," she said tiredly. "I mean... thank you, but I really don't want to talk about it."

"You might as well tell me about everything I've missed, then," he said, obviously trying to keep his voice light despite the heaviness of the topic. "I'm assuming you had a hand in faking your own death all those months ago, when you became Cassadi? I've picked up some bits and pieces by now, of course, but I'd like to hear the entire story... and I'll admit that I didn't really pay attention the first time you told me," he confessed, looking sheepish. "It was a little too much information all at once."

She dropped her head to rest on his shoulder and started telling him about the Wizard and his proposal and about everything that had happened afterwards, including how Glinda had found out – she told him everything she had kept from him. She also told him about the two years she spent on the run before that and even about her feelings for him all this time. He listened without saying a word, not interrupting her once. It was like he had opened some kind of door inside of her and now everything she had ever thought about telling him came spilling out. When she finished, they were both quiet for a while.

"Yero," she said, wanting him to understand this, and her voice caught. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep this from you. Especially after I found out how you really felt."

"But you had to," he finished for her. "Or at least you felt like you did. I understand. I guess I feel much the same way Glinda did – I'm a little upset with you, but at the same time, I get why you did it. And I can't really be mad at you anymore, you know. I already wasted so much time with you – ever since that Lion cub. I don't want to waste another clock-tick."

"Me, neither," she sighed and when he kissed her, she did not protest. She wound her arms around his neck again and kissed him back, feeling his fingers splayed against her back, playing with her hair. She didn't think she could ever get enough of this. Part of her still felt like she had to be dreaming – like she would wake up soon and find herself all alone once more, alone like she had been her entire life until she met Glinda and Fiyero; but at the same time, she knew this was real and despite herself, despite everything that was going on, she felt lighter and happier than she had in a long time. For the first time since she had become a fugitive, she felt like things were going to be okay in the end.

They broke apart eventually and they just sat there for a while, content to simply be in one another's presence as they waited for Glinda to return. At some point, they started digging into the food, since Elphaba suddenly realised how hungry she was; and after that, she snuggled up against Fiyero again, watching Hero scurrying around the room for a while. When she yawned, Fiyero urged her to lie down and wrapped his arms around her, humming softly in her ear until she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When she awoke, he was still there, cradling her in his arms with his eyes fixed on the door as if he was expecting someone to burst through it and try to take her away at any given moment. The moment he felt her stir, his gaze snapped back to her face and when he saw that her eyes were open, he smiled.

"Hey," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Great." She yawned. "How long as I asleep?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "A few hours?"

" _Hours_?" She sat up, giving him an incredulous look. "And you stayed here all this time?"

He chuckled. "I thought we just agreed before you fell asleep that we weren't going to waste any more time," he said, still smiling. His eyes were alight with something she couldn't name, but whatever it was, it made her smile, too. "I'm going to stay by your side forever now, Fae, so you might as well get used to it."

It was hopeless, and stupid, and incredibly sappy, what he was telling her; and it was exactly what she needed to hear.

"I think I could," she admitted, indulging his sappiness just this once – although she told herself that if he did it again, she would most definitely scold him for it. "Get used to it, I mean."

His smile broadened. "Good."

She stretched and yawned again, then combed her fingers through Hero's fur, looking down at the young dog. He was still curled up on the bed beside her, just as fast asleep as she had been until a few minutes ago. Fiyero smiled when he followed her gaze – Hero really did look adorable when he was asleep.

"Fiyero?" she asked quietly. "What happens if Oscar can't give his testimony? If he's hurt too badly, or for some reason doesn't want to, or... or if he's dead?"

The prince shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Glinda and I will continue to try to convince the people if that happens, but I'm not sure if that will work. If they don't believe us and turn against you after all, we might have to get out of here... perhaps get out of Oz entirely, or at the very least out of the City. We could always settle down in the Vinkus," he offered. "I'm sure my parents would love to have us."

"That is if I can even get out of the Palace," she said. "If they do believe I'm the Witch, they'll guard me closely."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I missed your pessimism, Fae," he said jokingly, but she could tell that on some level, he was being serious about missing her – even her bad sides. "Honestly. If they won't let you out, I'll _take_ you out. We'll manage."

"Of course you will," she teased him. "Yero my hero."

He stilled, blinking at her for a moment and then slowly looking at Hero again. "Wait a clock-tick. Did you...?"

She could feel her cheeks grow warm and she averted her gaze. "Maybe. Yes," she burst out, "I'm stupid and pathetic, I know. You can say it now."

He was grinning widely. "You named your puppy after me?"

"It was just a way for me to retain what I had of my old life," she defended herself. She deflated a little. "I thought it was fitting at the time, I guess."

She squeaked a little in surprise when Fiyero suddenly grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her again. "I love you," he told her seriously.

"For being stupid and pathetic?" she asked sceptically, which made him laugh.

"No," he said. "Just for being you, and for how much you care, and for how much you apparently loved me even back then."

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, too. "You do realise I've loved you since the Lion cub, right?"

His grin was so wide by now that it nearly split his face in two. "That still seems like a strange idea – that you've apparently been in love with me all this time when I was equally head-over-heels in love with you and thought you would never return my feelings."

"You thought _I_...?" She laughed at him. "Excuse me, which one of us was green, weird, and _not_ in a relationship with a beautiful blonde girl at the time?"

He chuckled. "Well, at least you were smart and mature and I was... not," he finished lamely. "In any case, I never thought you would be interested. After that... well, there was not much I could do after that but look for you. So I did." He shook his head. "And then you appeared right under my nose and I didn't even see it. This whole thing is so strange, but it doesn't even really matter anymore," he said, lacing his fingers with hers and tugging her against him once more. "All that really matters is that you're here now. As yourself," he added, "which, I must say, I much prefer over your other look. No matter how beautiful you were as Cassadi – and you _were_ , you really were – you are way more beautiful just as you. I'll miss this colour on you. It's a shame it'll have to go again soon."

She scoffed. "Yeah, right."

He smirked a little. "You haven't changed at all since Shiz, have you?"

"I have," she told him. "In many ways. But I'm still me, you know, and I still hate people lying to me."

"And I'm still telling you it's not lying," he retorted. "It's looking at things another way." He grinned, running his fingers through her hair. "But don't worry. I have enough time to try and convince you that you're beautiful. I suppose you're still green – for now, anyway... and you probably still think of yourself as weird, too – although if you ask me, "weird" is just another way to say "different", and I think being different is a good thing... but at least now I'm not the only one in a relationship anymore."

Her face heated up again and she knew she was blushing. "No, I suppose you're not, are you?"

He dropped a kiss to her hair and she laid her head against his shoulder again, closing her eyes. They stayed like that until the door opened and Vana appeared, which made Elphaba sit upright again, picking up Hero and gazing at the maid anxiously.

"Your Highness," she said, although she kept glancing at Elphaba's skin a little apprehensively, "your presence in the throne room has been requested by Lady Glinda and His Ozness, our Wonderful Wizard."

Elphaba's heart started beating faster in her chest. "He's alive?"

Vana nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. He is not in the best condition, but he is alive and he will make a full recovery."

She leapt to her feet and, still cradling Hero in her arms, turned to Fiyero. "Are you coming?"

He nodded and moved to walk beside her, his hand on her lower back in a sign of support and comfort as they followed Vana out of Elphaba's quarters and up to the throne room, where she supposed her fate would be decided.

* * *

 **I'm leaving for Austria on Thursday night for a long weekend. I'll try to update on Thursday afternoon, but I'm not sure I'll be able to. I also should have wifi in Austria, but if I stay completely silent until after the weekend, you'll know that it turned out I didn't have wifi after all and I'll be back with an update on Tuesday :P.**


	28. 28

**Here you go! Leaving for Austria in a few hours :).**

 **TheDoctorPieMaker: I giggled out loud.**

 **18lzytwner: That's so good of you. Thank you for allowing me to go.**

 **Helen-of-Troy-7: ...maybe. Who knows :P.**

* * *

 **28.**

The first thing she saw when she entered the throne room behind Vana was her father. He looked pale, shaken, and much thinner than he had before; but he seemed to be all right, other than that, and at least he was alive. The moment she laid eyes on him, she surprised everyone – including him and herself – but instantly putting Hero down and approaching Oscar. He raised his hand in greeting, attempting a faint smile; but then she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

He froze at first, eyes wide as he looked over her head at Glinda and Fiyero, but they both looked just as taken aback as he was. Vana discreetly slipped out of the room. Some of the guards present took a step forward, but Oscar waved them away and put his arms around Elphaba as well, patting her back. "There, there," he said a bit awkwardly.

She didn't let go of him, but she did say quietly, "I'm sorry."

He let go, holding her at a small distance with his hands on her shoulders. "For what?"

"For not forgiving you sooner," she whispered, lowering her gaze. "Morrible was right – I already killed my mother and the man I thought was my father, and now my sister died because of me... and _you_ almost died, too. And if you had, it would be my fault and I never would have even told you that I forgive you."

"Cassie!" Glinda scolded her friend, placing her hands on her hips. "None of those things were your fault!"

"They weren't," Oscar agreed, looking at his daughter. "You mustn't believe such things, Cassadi." She noticed that he glanced at the guards as he said that and she realised they had to be careful what they discussed in here.

She looked at her friends for a moment. Glinda still looked a little angry. Fiyero's jaw was set in determination. She knew that they would both start bothering her about this soon and neither of them would stop until they convinced her that her family's deaths were not her fault. She didn't think they'd ever succeed in doing so, but she appreciated it more than she could say that they were both willing to try.

"Could you leave us, please?" Oscar asked the guards.

They hesitated. "Your Ozness," one of them began, but Oscar shook his head.

"She's my _daughter_ ," he told them firmly. "There is no need for all this. Don't tell me you believe that rubbish about her being the Wicked Witch?"

They looked suitably embarrassed. "Of course not, Your Ozness," one of them muttered and they quickly filed out of the room, closing it behind them.

"Now we can talk," said Oscar. "Elphaba."

She looked back at him.

"I'm very sorry about your sister," he said.

She gave him a minute nod and a neutral, "Thank you", an unreadable expression on her face.

He said her name again and she saw that, much to her astonishment, there were tears in his eyes. "Did you mean that? Do you really forgive me?"

She hesitated only a clock-tick, but then she nodded. "Yes." It wouldn't help anyone if she held on to her hatred for him. The things he had done – declaring her a Wicked Witch, chasing her down, taking away the Animals' voices and their places in society – were terrible, but she could see by now that he was genuinely sorry and she could not hold this over his head forever. Morrible had been far worse than he had been – at least he hadn't purposefully killedanyone, something she could not say about the Press Secretary. And he was the last blood-related family she had left.

He beamed at her, smiling widely, and then he pulled her into another hug. She squeaked a little in surprise this time and he laughed. "Thank you, Elphaba," he said, letting go of her, but keeping hold of her hand. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

She smiled back at him. "I should have done it before, I suppose."

He patted her shoulder. "Better late than never."

She chuckled and stepped away, looking around. Glinda was looking happy and Fiyero smiled at the green girl when she looked at him. "Where is Morrible?" she asked suddenly.

Glinda shook her head. "This isn't a trial, Elphie," she said. "Morrible is still in her cell. I just informed the press and the people that there will be another announcement tonight. During that announcement, Oscar will confirm my story to the people."

"And there is more," Fiyero added. He held up the newspaper. "My parents released a press statement the moment they heard about what happened yesterday with you and Morrible," he explained. He was beaming with pride. "They stated that they support our every claim – everything Glinda, you, and I have told the people. It's on the front page. The article even says that you and I spent some time with my family together and apparently Mum told them how intelligent, kind, and bright you are, and Dad pointed out that if you really were a wicked witch, you would never have helped all those people and Animals on your trip around Oz with Morrible. They have our back, Fae."

"Although, of course," Glinda took over again, "King Hamold's argument sparked a new discussion, because if the fact that you travelled around Oz to help its citizens is proof for your non-wickedness, then it should be proof that Morrible is not evil, either, since she travelled with you and even organised the whole thing."

"It's complicated," Oscar admitted, looking at Elphaba. "But it's a start, and I firmly believe we will get there. This should pretty much convince everyone. Remember how sheep-like the people are?" he asked her with a smile and she nodded, rolling her eyes.

"They will believe me," Oscar stated. "They still think of me as their Wonderful Wizard, don't they? I daresay that they look up at me even more now that they have seen what _you_ can do, Elphaba – they'll think that if my daughter is already that powerful, I must be even more so." He grimaced. "In any case, my point is that they will lap up everything I say. If I go out tonight and tell them that you really are my daughter, that you're not the Witch of the West, and that Morrible was the one who held me captive all this time, they will turn against her just like that."

She knew he was probably right and, silly and idiotic as it was, she was grateful for it just this once. It if meant she could be free...

Fiyero moved over to her and took her hand, squeezing softly. "Everything will be okay," he promised.

She chortled. "Oh, Yero, you know me," she said. "Seeing is believing. Until then, you can promise me all you want, but I won't believe any of it until it actually happens."

Oscar looked a little startled. He pointed at her. "That is your father talking, Elphaba," he said, grinning a little. "It seems like you inherited my scepticism." He was studying her in wonder. "I never thought I would ever be able to say that someone inherited some of my characteristics," he said, an almost reverent look on his face, "let alone such a strong and beautiful young woman as yourself."

She could feel her face heat up and she rolled her eyes to hide her discomfort. "Stop flattering me, Oscar," she said sarcastically. "Kissing up is unbecoming for a leader."

He scowled at her. "I was telling the truth."

"He's right," Fiyero murmured in her ear and she elbowed him between the ribs so hard that he gasped.

Oscar chuckled a little weakly, shaking his head. "I just can't believe that I really have a daughter," he admitted. "I've always longed to be a father..."

"I remember," Elphaba muttered, exchanging a look with Glinda, who had been there that day as well.

Oscar went a little red in the face. "Yes, well..." He fidgeted uncomfortably. "I meant it, though. That part, at least. I never found my true love and I never thought I'd settle down and have a family, and I regretted that... but now I have a daughter," he said, beaming at Elphaba, "and I promise you, Elphaba, that I will try my very best to be a good father to you from now on. Or, well... to Cassadi, in any case."

"Good luck," she said drily, which made Glinda gasp and hiss, "Elphie! Manners!", but Oscar just chuckled again.

"Thank you."

"So what happens now?" Elphaba asked him, crossing her arms. "You'll prepare an announcement for tonight and lock Morrible up for good, and I'll go back to being Cassadi?"

"Basically, yes," he said, "although there is more I have in store for you than just that, Elphaba."

She quirked an eyebrow at him and he smiled. "I want you to be my Magic Grand Vizier," he said, "and I want Glinda as my new Press Secretary. You two can work together and help me get Oz back on its feet. And when the time comes, Elphaba, you will take over as Queen of Oz – you _are_ my daughter, after all, and thus the crown princess. I told you this a while ago and that has not changed."

Glinda squealed. "Magic Grand Vizier, Elphie! And me – Press Secretary!" She grabbed her friend's hands, squeezing them tightly. Her bright blue eyes were shining. "We'll finally be working together as a team," she said, "just like we always wanted! We'll be making good! You'll accept, won't you?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"Of course," said Elphaba, giving her friend a small grin. "The Magic Grand Vizier part, anyway. We'll see about the Queen of Oz part." She gave Oscar a look.

He laughed. "Fair enough."

"Do I have to be there?" she asked. "During the announcement?"

He shook his head. "No," he said, "I think it would be best if I did this alone or they might blame you for influencing me. I will make the announcement myself, with some trusted officials by my side, and no-one else; but of course I'll let you know how it went. I'll need to convince my advisors and a couple of other important people, too, naturally, but I expect that will be much easier now that the king and queen of the Vinkus have proclaimed their support. Things will be fine, Elphaba."

She nodded. "Good. Well, if you don't need me for anything else, then, I suppose I'll just go back to my rooms." She picked Hero off the floor again – something that was getting harder and harder to do, given how quickly he was growing – and left the throne room, Glinda and Fiyero right on her heels.

* * *

They waited.

Glinda played with Hero as Elphaba was leaning against Fiyero, lost in thought. She watched her friend and the puppy for a little while, but her mind was elsewhere. She was immensely grateful that Oscar was still alive and just as grateful that this whole mess would soon be behind her. She was worried, however, about many things. She'd go back to pretending soon and even though it wouldn't be as bad as before, she recognised that it would still not be easy. Fiyero would have to lie to his family about her, for one – it wouldn't just be Elphaba anymore who was keeping secrets and telling lies, it would be Fiyero and Glinda, too.

"Fae?" Fiyero asked quietly as he was playing with her fingers. "I think we need to talk about the things you said back in that throne room."

She sighed. She'd known he'd bring this up sooner or later. "There's nothing to talk about, Fiyero. If I hadn't been born green, my mother wouldn't have died – you know that story, I told you back at Shiz. Nessa literally told me that Frex died of embarrassment because of what I'd done, defying the Wizard. As for Nessa herself..." She bit her lip and drew her knees up to her chest. "I'm sure I could have done _something_."

"That's rubbish, Elphaba," Glinda said from the other side of the cell without taking her eyes off Hero. "No-one could have saved Nessa but she herself, and she refused to see it or to change her ways. I already told you a thousand times that your mother's death had nothing to do with you and everything with the milk flowers she chose to take – for which only she and your father were responsible, not you. And you, being as smart as you are, should know that no-one could literally "embarrass himself to death". Your father was not the youngest anymore. Perhaps he was just done."

"I don't want you thinking such things, Fae," Fiyero said, reaching up to cup her cheek and make her look at him. "You did not kill anyone, either directly or indirectly. You're the best person I've ever met. Please don't blame yourself for things that were not your fault."

She sighed.

They waited and Glinda went to get some food. She returned with a tray filled with delicious things, but none of them was very hungry; they were all too anxious to wait. As evening fell, the room got colder and they all grabbed a blanket to huddle under.

Glinda put her head on Elphaba's shoulder even as she was stroking Hero, who was now in her lap. "Elphie? Do you think it'll be okay?"

Elphaba shrugged. "I don't know, Glin," she said quietly. "I hope so."

"Of course it will be," Fiyero said firmly, but the girls were not as convinced as he was.

They waited even longer. At some point, Glinda started talking about Shiz and they spent the next half hour or so digging up memories, which was nice and also distracted them from their worry over Oscar's announcement.

"Do you remember that time you and Boq were escorting me, Elphie, and Nessa to the OzDust Ballroom for the spring dance," Glinda was saying, "and it had been raining, and you tried to be all gentlemanly and guide us around the puddles..."

"And then Boq slipped and fell into one," Fiyero continued, grinning, "and he splashed water all over my brand-new suit, and then the two of us had to go back home to change? Yeah, I remember. Boq had to borrow a pair of my tight white trousers. He had Milla and Pfannee trailing after him all night long."

Glinda giggled.

"Or that time," Elphaba mused aloud, "when you, Glin, were trying to master a spell for our Sorcery class and you accidentally aimed that muting spell at me instead of at the canary we were supposed to enchant?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember!" said Fiyero, still grinning. "You couldn't talk all day long and you kept glaring at Glinda. I must say, that was probably the quietest day of my life – after I met you, at least."

She gave him one of aforementioned glares and he chuckled. "I didn't mean anything by that! You know I don't mind you talking!"

She opened her mouth to retort, but before she could say anything, Cheri came in and curtseyed. "Your Highness? His Ozness requests your permission to enter."

"Of course!" Elphaba sat up straighter. "Please let him in."

Oscar emerged a few moments later, smiling widely. "It's all fine," he said, closing the door behind him. "Everyone feels guilty now for even doubting you for a clock-tick. Everything is working out, Elphaba."

Glinda squealed and threw her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly. Fiyero slid his arm around Elphaba's waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. Elphaba herself merely let out a breath and nodded. Oscar smiled at her and she smiled back.

Maybe everything really was going to be fine.

* * *

 **There you go, then... until Saturday (you know, unless there are either wifi problems or I'm just having so much fun I forget to update :P)!**


	29. 29

**Yo guys! Wifi works, but I only have my mini laptop and it's super slow, so I'll post the blog post that goes with this chapter next time, when I'm back. This is the final real chapter - the next one is the epilogue! (Austria is really cool, by the way.)**

* * *

 **29.**

Elphaba found it hard to say what was more unnerving – the way people reacted to her after everything that had happened during their announcement (namely by being incredibly nice to her and flattering her whilst constantly giving her guilty looks) or the way they responded to the news that their crown princess and the Captain of the Guard were in a relationship (most of the people seemed a little over-excited about that, apparently already having forgotten that not too long ago, Lady Glinda had been engaged to said Captain). She wasn't used to being the centre of attention and she didn't like it. Last time, there had been so much going on that she'd hardly had time to realise what being a princess really meant, but she was quickly starting to catch up on that now. She felt a little overwhelmed sometimes, but Oscar, Glinda, and Fiyero were all there for her and always willing to help her out, which reassured her a little.

By now she was completely back to being Cassadi, pale skin and changed hair included. It felt strange, but she was not sure whether that was a bad thing. She didn't miss her green skin. It was weird to look in a mirror and not see the looks she had always so hated, and sometimes she did not feel entirely like herself, but she found it easier to get used to it now that it was no longer a painful reminder of the lies she had to tell her friends every day.

Glinda, although missing her friend's "normal" looks, liked the way Elphaba looked now. She still loved the princess's hair colour and she could now happily spend hours trying to find the perfect dress to go with Elphaba's hair and complexion, which she loved. Fiyero was an entirely different story; he insisted that he had meant it when he'd said that Elphaba looked beautiful as Cassadi, but he also made it clear that he would much rather have seen her in her real colouring. He understood that wasn't possible, but that did not mean he wouldn't have preferred the real Elphaba over the degreenified one.

Meanwhile, Morrible had found herself facing stacks of evidence during her trial, a couple of weeks after Oscar's return. Aside from Oscar, Fiyero, Glinda, and Elphaba's testimonies against her, there were also a few guards and maids who were willing to tell the council of judges about some suspicious activities of Morrible's they had witnessed; and when her office had been searched, enough proof was found to support the claim that she had been the one behind the Animal Banns, not to mention some evidence that seemed to suggest she had been planning to eventually take over Oz. This was enough for the council to convict her and sentence her to a lifetime in Southstairs for treason.

The outcome of the trial was eagerly awaited by most Ozians. It became even bigger news when word got out that Madame Morrible had tried to hex several of the people present when the sentence was revealed – a judge, a maid, Princess Cassadi, and Lady Glinda among them – and this stirred up the buzz again, especially in the Emerald City.

Of course, once things were starting to settle down a bit, Glinda insisted on having another ball. "It will pacify the officials and the nobility, Cassie, and it will be a good opportunity to show you off – people need to see their crown princess every once in a while and important people like balls. It gives them a chance to show off their expensive clothing and jewellery, their beautiful wives, and their dancing abilities – not to mention the fact that they often take a great liking to the wine served at balls. It's classy, yet fun. You'll like it, just you wait and see."

"I've already been to a ball once, back when you were in Munchkinland, remember?" Elphaba muttered, wincing a little as the thought of Munchkinland made her think of her sister. "It was terrible."

"This one won't be," Glinda said firmly. "I'll go talk to your maids and find you a dress to wear. I'm thinking pink, don't you agree?"

"No."

The blonde giggled. "I was joking, relax."

Glinda's choice turned out to be a one-shouldered gown with a tight-fitting bodice and a skirt that flared out slightly as it fell to the floor. Flowers and beading adorned the single strap and the bodice, as well as the top of the skirt. It was a bluish purple colour that turned out to match rather well with Elphaba's hair – Glinda explained she had made sure of that by comparing different colour schemes.

"Fiyero will faint upon seeing you," Glinda predicted, a hint of smugness in her voice. "Make sure to mention me when you get compliments about the way you look."

A flash of guilt shot through her and she looked up at her friend. "Glin... are you really sure you're okay with all this? Fiyero and I, I mean? I'd understand if you... well, weren't. Okay."

The beautiful blonde sighed. "Oh, Cassie, I know I've been a bit difficult about this –"

"No!" Elphaba protested, horrified. "Not at all! Glinda, you had – and have – every right to be mad at me!" She bit her lip. "It's just that... with everything that's been happening, I sort of forgot that you and I are still not okay. And that's okay," she hastened to assure the blonde, who giggled. "But yes, I feel guilty. Honestly, every time I see you looking at Fiyero, I feel guilty."

"Then stop that," Glinda told her, linking her arm with her former roommate's. "Cassie... Elphie. We _are_ okay. I told you after you woke up, remember? I forgive you. For Oz's sake, you almost died – and I can't stay mad at you for very long, anyway. Of course it hurt and of course I was upset at first, but I can put that behind me now and so should you." She squeezed Elphaba's arm. "I'll find my Mr Perfect," she said. She tossed her curls over one shoulder. "And he will be _so_ much better than Fiyero."

Elphaba chuckled and Glinda hugged her.

"Thanks, Glin," the young witch said quietly and Glinda smiled at her.

"That's what friends are for, Cassie."

Fiyero did not exactly faint once he did see her, an hour or so later; but his reaction did make Elphaba blush. The moment he laid eyes on her, he just got this soft look in his eyes that seemed to melt her on the spot – a mixture of joy, love, and wonder, as if he couldn't believe what he was looking at. She realised that was exactly what that look meant when he drew her into his arms and murmured, "You will never know how badly I have missed you while you were gone."

She smiled sadly. "Oh, I think I do know," she said, putting her chin on his shoulder as he hugged her close. "Even with everything going on – being on the run, trying to help the Animals and keep myself from getting caught, and later the whole plot with Oscar and Morrible – there hasn't been a single day when I haven't thought of you or a single night I haven't lain awake for a while wishing that things could have been different."

He buried his face in her hair and she could feel him exhaling slowly. "No more, though," he said, pulling back and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He kissed her, softly and slowly. "We'll make every moment count from now on."

Their moment was interrupted by Oscar, who coughed awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable watching such an intimate scene between his daughter and the man she loved. "Um, Cassadi, we should... I mean, I should escort you into the room."

"Right," she said, extracting herself from Fiyero's grip and giving him a small smile when she saw the unhappy look that crossed his face for just a fraction of a clock-tick. Slowly but surely, she had been coaxing him into telling her how he had really felt when he'd thought she was dead and the depth of his feelings shocked her every time they had such a conversation. She knew now that he wasn't joking or being sappy when he told her that he'd prefer for her to never leave his arms again. She understood now that, happy as he was that they were finally together, there was not a single moment when he was not scared of losing her again. Once again, she'd realised how much they were actually alike.

Thankfully, this ball turned out to be much better than the last one had been. Oscar introduced her to many more people and she was forced to make small talk with all of them, smiling and nodding and just generally showing everyone that she was sweet and kind and cooperative and that they had nothing to fear from her. She got involved in a political discussion between some high officials and, according to Oscar, managed to impress a lot of people by outsmarting said high officials in every possible way.

Apart from that, there were the more obvious differences – Glinda was here this time instead of in Munchkinland, Elphaba's relationship with Oscar was much better, and there were no more unresolved issues, nor was there more strange tension, between her and Fiyero. Between her talks with the guests, Oscar, and Glinda, she spent as much time as she could dancing in Fiyero's arms.

"I used to hate dancing," she said as he led her through a series of complicated steps. "I've never been good at it."

Fiyero smiled. "You're doing great." He dipped her. "I've always loved to dance."

She chuckled as he pulled her back against his chest. "I remember."

A slower song began and he drew her closer. She pressed her cheek to his chest, her head just fitting underneath his chin; and she closed her eyes for a moment, feeling perfectly happy and content. "I think you've managed to convince me that dancing is nice now, though."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Good, because I was hoping I'd get to do this more often."

She sighed. "I love you, you know."

"I know." She could feel him running his hand through her once again reddish brown and curly hair. "I love you, too."

She smiled as they swayed together, lost in one another's arms. Maybe things were not perfect – not at all – but at least they were looking up and that was more than she could have said even a few months ago.

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 **I'm warning you - the epilogue is so fluffy it'll probably make you want to puke. I was just re-reading it and it sort of even makes _me_ want to puke - I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that :P.**

 **Don't expect it until Tuesday, though, since I'll be in the car all day on Monday and I probably won't have the time (or will be too tired) to update then.**


	30. Epilogue

**Hey guys! I got back relatively early and since I managed to write quite a bit for my new fic on the car ride home, I decided to give you an early (or, well, on-time) update. (And Austria was wonderful.)**

 **missgalindaaa: I'm not planning on writing a sequel for this at the moment, but I'm keeping my options open!**

 **Thank you all so much for your support on this fic, it's been a great ride with you all there and the amount of reviews was overwhelming, so thank you for that. Virtual Apfelstrudel for all of you!**

 **Disclaime: The author of this fic cannot be held responsible for any tooth damage due to the high level of sweet and sappy fluff in this chapter, nor will she pay for anyone's dentist bills.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Elphaba pushed the door open with her hip and slipped into the room, carrying a tray in her hands. Hero, who was sleeping on the rug beside the bed, now raised his head to look at her, his tail wagging enthusiastically. She placed the tray on the nightstand and scratched the dog's ears before quickly locking the door behind her – just to be sure. She then cast a quick spell, crawled back onto the bed next to a still-sleeping Fiyero, and started to kiss his neck.

He stirred, and slowly a broad grin spread across his face. "Mm. I wouldn't mind waking up like this every day."

She smirked and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Happy birthday, Yero my hero."

He kissed her back without so much as opening his eyes, pulling her closer against him and rolling over so that they were both lying on their side, facing each other. Only then did he open his eyes and his grin widened to the point where it nearly split his face in two.

"Fae," he whispered, tracing her features with the tips of his fingers.

She turned her head to kiss his fingers. "Only for today," she warned him, "and only as long as no-one can see me."

It was the first time in a while he had called her "Fae". She was Cassadi now and because none of them wanted to risk slipping up about her true identity, everyone – including Glinda, Oscar, and Fiyero – had taken to calling her "Cassadi" (or a variation thereof; Glinda still insisted on "Cassie", while Fiyero had gone back to shortening her name to "Cass"); not just in public anymore, but in private as well. The risk of using her real name was simply too big.

Today, however, because it was Fiyero's birthday and she knew how he had always felt about her transformation – preferring "the real her" – she had gone back to being Elphaba. After all this time, it was disconcerting to look down at green hands again instead of pale ones. She glanced at the mirror once as she sat up. She actually had to get used to her old look and she found that she still did not particularly care for it.

This was about Fiyero, though, and not about her; and seeing the look on his face more than made up for the slight discomfort the transformation caused her. He traced her features with his fingers, starting at her forehead and going down her cheeks to her jaw before cupping her face and kissing her again, softly this time, almost reverently. She kissed him back, happy that her surprise for him was so well-received.

"I got you breakfast in bed, too," she murmured against his lips.

He grinned. "I'd rather have _you_ in bed than breakfast."

She pulled away to roll her eyes at him. "You're lucky it's your birthday, then," she said, raising an eyebrow, "because if you play it right, you might just get both."

He laughed and pulled her into his side even as he reached for the tray on his nightstand. He fed her a piece of fruit before stuffing his own mouth full with pancakes, which made her roll her eyes at him again.

"So what is the plan for today?" he asked with his mouth full.

She gave him a disapproving look, but he just grinned at her and she sighed and gave up. "Celebration out on the balcony tonight, followed by _yet another_ ball," she summed up glumly. "I don't really know why that's necessary, but I suppose I'll just dress up and look pretty, as usual." Ironic, really. She'd always thought that looking pretty was something she would never be able to do, but these days, she seemed to be doing it a lot. The fate of a crown princess, she supposed – although she was far from idle when it came to her role. She wanted to actually _do_ something, too, and so she attended a lot of meetings with Oscar and he involved her in nearly every decision he had to make and every matter he was investigating.

"In any case," she said, leaning over him with a small and slightly wicked smile, "it means that we have nowhere to be until at least dinnertime."

"Mm." Fiyero ran his hands down her back, resting them on her hips. "And of course you can't go outside looking like this, can you? People will start screaming "Witch!" and that is the last thing we want."

"Exactly," she said. "So I suppose that means I will have to stay in here all day long."

"Well," he played along, "then I, being the great boyfriend I am, will sacrifice my birthday to spend the whole day inside with you. Do you have any ideas as to what we could do?"

She kissed him. "I suppose I could think of something."

He laughed and kissed her back before scooping up another mouthful of pancakes. "Seriously, though," he said, once again talking with his mouth full, earning him another disapproving look from his girlfriend, "I love you."

She blinked back at him. "Why this spontaneous declaration of love?" she asked with just a touch of sarcasm. "Because I brought you pancakes?"

"That's part of it," he said seriously. She slapped his arm and he laughed, quickly feeding her some more fruit to shut her up. "Well, just because it's true, for one, but also because you did this," he gestured at her, "for me. I know you don't like looking at your old self, even though I'll tell you once again that you are beyond beautiful –"

"It's not just that," she cut him off quietly. "No, I've never liked my skin, but it's also... it mostly only reminds me of bad things, you know? The way I grew up, my mother's death and Nessa's disability, being bullied and ostracised all the time, the way Father treated me – and then I'm not even mentioning the whole Wicked Witch of the West thing and my years on the run." She shook her head. "Cassadi feels like a fresh start," she said. "Even with everything that happened to me when I was her – Morrible's plans, Nessa's death – it just... feels better than my old self, I suppose."

"I can understand that." He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled up to him, her head on his shoulder as she stole a piece of pancake from his plate. "But that only makes it even more amazing that you did this for me."

She smiled. "Well, I lied to you for a long time. I'm still trying to make it up to you."

He sat up straighter to look at her, suddenly serious. "Elphaba..."

"I know, I know. You forgave me, I don't have to make anything up to you. So you said. But it still feels that way, you know. I did hurt you – a lot. Especially by letting you think I was dead." She noticed how he flinched, even though he tried to hide it, and she pointed at him. "See? That's what I'm talking about."

"That was not your fault," he protested. "Fae... you didn't even know how I still felt about you."

"Stop," she cut him off. "We've had this conversation. Multiple times. You're going to keep insisting you forgive me and I'm going to continue feeling guilty, anyway, because that's just who I am. I don't want to ruin your birthday by arguing about this. I changed myself back for today because I love you and I wanted to do something special for your birthday, and I know you love it when I look like this. That's why. Okay? Can you please just take advantage of the locked door and me in your bed now?"

He chuckled and kissed her again. They finished their breakfast together and then he wrapped her in his arms and they just sat like that for a while.

Despite her teasing him about her being in his bed, they had never actually slept together. It had been well over a year now since Morrible had tried to expose her and ended up in Southstairs; Elphaba – or, well, Cassadi – and Fiyero had been together ever since and they were happy, but they had agreed to take things slow. More accurately, Elphaba had insisted on doing so and Fiyero had eventually grudgingly given in. Thinking he'd lost her had made him want to take three leaps ahead and not wait any longer with anything – marriage, children – but Elphaba had convinced him to wait.

"We have time," she'd told him when they had been talking about it. He'd been anxious and she'd leaned up to kiss him softly. "Yero, I love you. Everything is okay now. I'm not going anywhere."

He had eventually accepted that, albeit a little reluctantly. She knew he still wanted to marry her as soon as possible and start the rest of their lives together, as he always put it, but she appreciated it that he was willing to wait for her. After everything she'd been through, she just wanted some peace for a while. She didn't want to leap from one thing into the next – she felt like she'd been doing that her entire life long.

Hero clambered onto the bed and nestled himself in between the couple, his tail whipping them both in the face as he did so. Fiyero grunted and Elphaba laughed. "Bad dog."

Hero just wagged his tail some more and laid his head in Elphaba's lap. She smiled and petted him, then suddenly sat up. "Oh, that reminds me – I almost forgot your present!"

"Another present?"

"Me changing my skin colour for you does not really count as a present," she told him as she moved across the room and rummaged around in a drawer, "and besides, this present is related to that. Here." She handed him a package and he eagerly unwrapped it. What appeared looked a lot like a hand mirror, but when he looked closer, he saw that it contained moving pictures of himself and Elphaba as Cassadi from the past year.

"I enchanted it," she explained, climbing back onto the bed beside him. "It contains a lot of our memories together from the past year. You can tap one," she demonstrated that by tapping the glass, "and it will play for you – without sound, unfortunately, since I couldn't figure out how I could make that work."

"This is amazing," he breathed, tapping the moving pictures one by one. Each time he did so, the picture in question became larger and the memory started playing from beginning to end.

She grinned. "There's more." She took the hand mirror from him and showed him the back. "See the _E_ on the back here? If you trace it with your finger," she did so, "you'll get some different memories." She turned the mirror around again and handed it back to him.

He sucked in his breath. There she was – Elphaba. Green skin and all. "I suppose that explains what the _E_ stands for."

She grinned sheepishly. "It was the best I could come up with. Here – I included a lot of memories from Shiz," she showed them to him, "but also some of my time on the run, because you're always asking me what that was like, what I did and who I was with, and a few of my childhood... I figured you'd like to see for yourself."

He suddenly hugged her tightly and then pulled back to kiss her. "I love it. It's perfect, Fae. Just like you."

"What did I tell you about being sappy?" She was smiling, though. "I like it when you say my name," she said, pushing Hero aside so she could sit closer to Fiyero again. "It reminds me of Shiz. I suppose my old self does not only carry bad memories with it."

"Thankfully not." He kissed her again. "You know," he mused, stroking her cheek, "I missed saying your name, too. "Cass" is nice, but it's different."

"Well, as long as we're alone, I suppose "Fae" is fairly safe," she said. "Even if someone overhears, it doesn't sound like "Elphaba" at all, so no-one would think anything of it – except maybe that you're horrible at coming up with nicknames."

He grinned. He carefully placed the mirror on the nightstand and kissed Elphaba deeply. "You're sure we have nowhere to be, right?"

She shook her head. "I cancelled all my Grand Vizier appointments – Glinda can handle them by herself," she murmured against his lips. "Today I'm all yours."

"Hopefully not just for today," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'm just generally all yours. Okay?"

"Perfect." He grinned widely, stroking her cheek before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Elphaba-Fae," he whispered, emphasising her name, which made her roll her eyes at him once more. She kissed him fiercely again, winding her arms around his neck and losing herself in him as she so loved to do.

She knew she would be ready for all the things he wanted soon. Deep down, she knew they would get married someday – that they would have children, maybe even grandchildren, and that they would probably end up ruling Oz together once Oscar stepped down. She was getting there, slowly but surely, and she did want that future eventually.

For now, however, she was content with the way they were. Morrible was in Southstairs and she had Oscar, Glinda, and Fiyero now, who supported her in every area of her life. She had the best friend in the world, a boyfriend who loved her more than life itself, and a father who was trying his very hardest to not only teach her the things a father should teach his daughter (and the things a ruler should teach the crown princess), but also to keep earning her respect and, perhaps one day, her love. There was not much more she could ask for. Finally, she truly knew what it was to be loved; and despite the conditions and sacrifices that came with, she felt like she was right where she belonged.

 **-THE END-**

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 **When you guys get back from your dentist, it'd be great if you'd leave one last review :P. (Oh, Elphaba's dress from the previous chapter is on my blog now with the other dresses I posted previously; I couldn't upload it before since I was in Austria.)**

 **My next fic is called _No Way Back_ and will be the sequel to _Roads Not Taken_ (yes, the titles sort of match on purpose), although I'm pretty sure it can be read separately, too.  
I'm not sure yet when I will start posting, since once again, I'd like to have a bit of a head start on it and I have a pretty busy few weeks ahead of me (cosplaying, birthday (including mandatory birthday party), and I'm spending as much time with my friend in the next few weeks as possible because she'll be moving to Austria at the end of September).**

 **Thanks again and I hope I will see you all again when I start posting _No Way Back_!**

 **Maddy**


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